For 60 minutes the Eagles were well in the game but more controversy saw them unable to hang on against the league leaders and were beaten 3-1.
Eagley started well and were on top of the game causing the home side no end of problems. Joe O’keefe just shooting wide and if we could of finished a bit better the end product would of been there. But Fulwood then began to play and get themselves back into the game hitting the bar on two occasions giving it end to end action. Eagles centre back Simon Neary then went in the book for a late challenge and minutes later fouled again but was spared a second yellow which did not go down well with the home side, as they protested he should of been sent off. That’s how the score remained at the interval after a good hard working performance by the Eagles.
The second half saw much of the first and within minutes the Eagles were pushing on again. A fine cross into the Fulwood box found the head of player/boss Whaley, who headed it down to the feet of Sam Knowles, who made no mistake and fired it home for 1 nil, and his well deserved first of the season! Then a great ball found Whaley again who was one on one with the keeper, and after rounding him was brought down in the box. Everybody at the game thought it was a penalty except the referee and astonishingly a goal kick was awarded. But then in true Eagley style, that’s when it went wrong…. Fulwood pushed into the Eagley area where we finally managed to scrape it clear, but not before a tussle with Eagles Jack Horan and the Fulwood forward. Horan was then given his second yellow card and his early marching orders!
With ten men it was a massive ask, and the Eagley defence were struggling to cope against a sharp Fulwood attack, and minutes later after Fulwood piled on the pressure they got the equaliser. Eagley were now hanging on to the draw but on 76 minutes Fulwood upped it again and fired past Eagley’s Billy Worthington. Then in the dying minutes Fulwood secured victory after a great run and strike by Brad Fox to secure them the points.
The scoreline didn’t really portray the game and Eagley effort, and left the assistant manager Scott Deryshire clearly disappointed with the outcome. ‘We worked really hard, and for 60 minutes we were on top of the game, if we got the penalty and two nil I think we would of won, but it wasn’t to be! But we came here to the league leaders and made them work which is a great positive and we couldn’t of asked for more.’