All the action from the FA Cup Second Round
IF AFC Fylde get their way, the visit of Football League opposition to the plush surroundings of Mill Farm will one day become a regular thing.
Fylde have made little secret of their continued ambition to climb the football ladder, and nights like this represent a clear milestone for a club that regularly creates new history.
On their first appearance at this stage of the FA Cup, Dave Challinor’s team rose to the occasion to complete a secondhalf fightback and bridge a gap of 63 league places against Wigan Athletic, the highestranked team currently in the competition. Danny Rowe ensured Fylde’s name will feature in the third round draw with a penalty 20 minutes from time.
When Wigan won the FA Cup as a Premier League club four years ago, Fylde were plying their trade in the EvoStik Premier, but here the teams were inseparable.
“In matches like this, you’ve got to ride your luck at times and take your chances when they come,” said Rowe.
“You can see from watching Wigan play that they are a good side but we sat off them and probably gave them too much respect in the first half. We got a bit of momentum after half-time and the goal came at a good time. We knew that we needed to get in their face more and push on. “It’s been brilliant for the club to be involved at this stage and it’ll be even better to be in the draw again. As a Manchester United fan, I want a trip to Old Trafford.” Controlling the play at their own pace, Wigan had the home team penned deep inside their own half for a significant part of the first period and it paid off a minute before half-time. Will Grigg rose inside the sixyard box to direct a header past goalkeeper Jay Lynch from Nathan Byrne’s sweeping right-wing centre. The focus for Challinor’s team was to remain compact, yet once they fell behind, Fylde knew they would have to become more purposeful. Substitute Matty Blinkhorn went close and it signalled a turning of the tide – Fylde shortly had parity. Goalkeeper Jamie Jones beat out a shot from Jonny Smith and, in the scramble that followed, Sam Finley was felled by Byrne. With Rowe’s tidily-taken penalty, Fylde’s dream lives on.