A riveting clash unravelled at the bowl on Saturday evening, where two first-half goals were enough to see FC Isle of Man edge past Ramsbottom United in a closely fought NWCFL Premier Division contest.
The opening exchanges saw both teams trying to find their feet. Ste Whitley created the first opportunity, but there was nobody there to meet his early cross, while Danny Gerrard had an attempt thwarted by Thompson in the Rams goal. He then turned creator, but the Rams defence stood firm.
Undeterred, The Ravens continued to surge forward, and their persistence paid off in the 19th minute when Gerrard drove down the right, and delivered a meticulously placed cross to the unmarked Sean Doyle at the far post. He made no mistake, clinically slotting home a point-blank finish to give FC IOM a well-deserved 1-0 lead.
Buoyed by their early success, FC Isle of Man doubled their advantage only 7 minutes later with a moment of individual brilliance from Charlie Higgins. An attempted clearance deflected off the face of Whitley and fell kindly to the feet of Higgins, who riffled a ferocious half-volley from 25 yards out, which nestled into the far top corner.
Ramsbottom, determined to claw their way back into the contest, carved out a golden opportunity in the 36th minute. Oumar Camara was through on goal, and his shot had beaten Adam Killey, but Phil Kelly exhibited his defensive prowess, executing a timely goal-line clearance to preserve The Ravens two-goal cushion at the break.
The second half witnessed Ramsbottom United mounting a spirited comeback and began how the first ended, as Kelly produced yet another goal line clearance early on.
Ramsbottom’s Oscar Radcliffe then reduced the deficit in the 63rd minute, converting a well-worked set-piece to make it 2-1, setting up a tense run to the final whistle.
Minutes later, Tiernan Garvey seized the opportunity to make an audacious attempt on goal from the half-way line after he spotted Rams keeper Thompson well off his line, although this effort went agonisingly wide. Sub Jack McVey all saw a left-footed effort go narrowly wide shortly after.
As the clock ticked towards full time, The Rams had one last chance to snatch a point when Matthew Birchall latched on to a long ball, only for his low effort from inside the box to be turned away from goal thanks to a wonderful save from Killey, which was met with audible relief from The Ravens fans.
As the final whistle sounded, FC Isle of Man collected all three points. Phil Kelly’s defensive heroics earned him the Law Trust Man of the Match.
FC Isle of Man will now travel away to Colne on Wednesday, March 27th. This game kicks off at 19:45, and if you cannot make the away trip, the game will be streamed in the Pinewood Social Club.
