AFC Fylde's show of character impresses boss Jim Bentley

Danny Rowe is crowded out by Sutton United

Jim Bentley was proud that his AFC Fylde side showed the character required to survive with few alarms against Sutton United despite playing close to half the game with 10 men.

The red card for Jordan Thompson – “a little harsh” was boss Bentley’s first impression – was undoubtedly the pivotal point in the goalless draw.

The manager said: “We were quite in control, and despite one chance in the first half for them we were quite comfortable.

We tried to get the players to express themselves and we were unlucky with Yeates hitting the crossbar.

I thought the opposition dug in and worked extremely well. “They’re in good form (having taken seven points from their previous three games), so credit to them for digging in.

“In the end, the big talking point was the sending- off. We’re disappointed as we think Jordan is an honest player.

“I’ll need to see it again but from speaking to a few people it seemed a little harsh.

“They had the lion’s share of possession from there but we kept plugging away. It it was one of those nights when you see what character we have and I think we showed it.