FAB FYLDE ARE A REAL SM-ASH HIT
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AN Ash Hemmings brace saw AFC Fylde leapfrog Wrexham to fourth in the National League title race, while condemning their visitors to a fifth straight defeat.
Hemmings followed up his 44th-minute opener with a second ten minutes into the restart as the Coasters stole a march on the leading sides.
“It was a proper game,” purred Fylde boss Dave Challinor. “The quality wasn’t great, if I’m honest, but we work on keeping our shape and we did that really well.
“It was the type of game you would see in the Football League in terms of two teams going at it, but I thought we were comfortable-ish and once we got the second goal we had them at arm’s length.”
Wrexham were also without a goal in their previous four defeats but they started the brighter with Paul Rutherford a constant threat on the right hand side.
The Coasters, though, grew slowly into the game, as chances were created regularly from the dangerous trio of Hemmings, the top scorer Danny Rowe and Nick Haughton. Hemmings, who has been in and out of the team in recent weeks and broke the deadlock just before the interval, latching on to a loose ball in the penalty box and firing a low, powerful effort past Rob Lainton. Buoyed by onloan debutant Timi Odusina impressing on the right, Fylde remained in control after the break with one move finding Rowe, who in turn played in Dan Bradley but the new signing, enjoying a second debut with the Coasters, saw his thundering drive palmed away by Lainton.
But it didn’t take too long for the Coasters to double their lead. Bradley found Hemmings charging in off the left wing and he took a touch before hammering it past Lainton.
Wrexham looked momentarily stunned until Luke Summerfield tried to drive his team on, striking from distance, forcing Jay Lynch into a smart save down low.
The game saw plenty of half chances for both sides as it drew to its conclusion, with Rutherford thinking he’d halved the deficit after the ball had bobbled towards him in injury time but Lynch’s unbelievable reflexes denied him.
Despite suffering a fifth straight defeat, the Dragons are still only four points off the top of the table, giving manager Graham Barrow hope.
“There’s still so much to play for,” he said. “But we’ve got to address the situation at hand.
“We were unfortunate to go in a goal down at half-time, and your team talk changes at that stage. I’m not exactly sure why, but I just feel that the belief that we’d come back wasn’t there.”
STAR MAN: Ash Hemmings (AFC Fylde) ATT: 2,912 ENTERTAINMENT: ★★★★★ REFEREE: Martin Woods 7/10