FC Isle of Man endured a frustrating evening at The Bowl on Saturday, suffering their first defeat of the season with a narrow 0-1 loss to Longridge Town. Despite dominating large portions of the match and playing against ten men for the final 20 minutes, the Ravens were unable to find a way through a determined Longridge Town defence.
The game began with a lively tempo, and FC Isle of Man looked dangerous early on. In just the 6th minute, a well-worked move saw Ste Whitley play a deft pass to Seán Doyle, whose shot was saved by Longridge Town’s goalkeeper, Jordan Gidley. Danny Gerrard was quick to follow up and slotted the ball into the net, but the effort was chalked off for offside.
Just a minute later, disaster struck for the home side. A rare error by goalkeeper Adam Kiley seen him caught in possession and stranded out of position, Longridge Town’s Matthew Van Wyk stole the ball off the keeper on the right of the box, squaring a pass to the unmarked Harvey Roberts, who calmly finished into an empty net to give the away side an early 1-0 lead. It was a bitter blow for FC Isle of Man, who had started the game brightly.
The Ravens responded well, with Whitley continuing to threaten down the right wing. In the 27th minute, he delivered a dangerous cross that deflected off Ridge’s defender Connor Newton and struck the post, nearly leading to an equaliser. Despite their best efforts, FC IOM were unable to find the back of the net before halftime, going into the break trailing by a single goal.
The second half saw FC Isle of Man continue to press for an equaliser, but Longridge withdrew into a low defensive block and held station. The match took a dramatic turn in the 67th minute when Longridge midfielder Jacob Bridges was sent off for a second bookable offence after a clash with Callum Sherry. With the away side now reduced to ten men, the Ravens intensified their search for a goal but couldn’t find a way through.
Dean Pinnington came agonisingly close to levelling the score in the 89th minute with a superb free-kick from 25 yards, but Gidley produced an outstanding save to tip the ball over the bar. Despite a barrage of late pressure, including several set-piece opportunities, FC Isle of Man couldn’t break down Longridge’s stubborn defence.
While the Ravens will be disappointed with the result, they can take some positives from their performance. However, it was Longridge Town’s Harvey Roberts who stole the show. Not only did he score the match-winning goal, but his dogged performance in midfield was crucial in helping his side secure all three points, earning him the man of the match award.
FC Isle of Man will now regroup quickly as they prepare for their next match away against FC St Helens on Tuesday, 13 August. The Ravens will be eager to bounce back and return to winning ways.
