ROWE HITS DOUBLE AS COASTERS CRUISE ON
AFC FYLDE made it five games unbeaten with a comprehensive win over Dover Athletic.
A brace from Danny Rowe and goals from Joe Cardle and James Hardy earned the Coasters the points against last season’s play-off rivals.
Boss Dave Challinor was pleased with the all round display and the way his team were able to punish Dover with their counter-attacking while keeping the door closed at the other end.
Challinor said: “Really pleasing to get that important second goal. It opened the game up more and allowed us to hurt Dover on the counter and it was really pleasing to also come away with a clean sheet.”
Both managers stuck to the same sides that had won on Tuesday night against Solihull Moors and Havant and Waterlooville respectively.
The Coasters thought they had taken the lead on the quarter hour mark when Neill Byrne headed past Mitch Walker from a Cardle free-kick, but the flag was up for offside.
Dover looked dangerous down the right hand side with Passley causing Zaine Francis-Angol some issues but the Fylde defence limited them to only a handful of half chances.
Inih Effiong saw a curled effort tipped over by Jay Lynch early on and on the brink of half time he flicked a Passley cross just wide of Lynch’s far post.
The Coasters deservedly took the lead four minutes before the break as a goal kick from Lynch was controlled well by Rowe who turned and fired the ball past Walker into the bottom right corner from the edge of the box. Fylde made it two just four minutes into the second half. A cross from the right from Cardle looped over Walker and came back off the post and in. Dover tried their best to respond but a blocked effort from Brundle was all they could muster. Fylde made the game safe with Rowe powering home a penalty with five minutes left after Toure was brought down six yards out. James Hardy iced the cake by chipping Walker from 12 yards. Fylde remain unbeaten this season and climb to third whilst Dover drop to 19th. Their boss Chris Kinnear said the goals either side of halftime saw Fylde to victory, saying: “I thought we played very well first half, the goals just before and after the break really hurt us and we tried to respond but got caught at the back.”