Braintree Town 1 AFC Fylde 0: Roberts sees red in Coasters' defeat
Inih Effiong’s second-half goal proved to be the difference as AFC Fylde suffered National League defeat at Braintree Town on Saturday.
Effiong scored just before the hour mark to defeat a Coasters team which ended with 10 men following the dismissal of Tyler Roberts.
Fylde had a great chance within the opening two minutes as Nick Haughton’s corner was headed over by skipper Corey Whelan.
Both sides then appeared to cancel each other out for the remainder of the first half.
The Coasters saw Bryce Hosannah look to work a chance for himself towards the latter stages of the half.
However, having cut inside onto his left foot, he was unable to get away a strike at goal.
Fylde started the second half on the front foot with Charlie Jolley getting past the last defender, only for him to be well closed down before getting in an effort.
The deadlock was eventually broken on 59 minutes when the ball was worked to the byline before being cut back to Effiong.
He then bundled the ball past Fylde keeper Ben Winterbottom to open the scoring.
Things went from bad to worse for the Coasters moments later as Roberts was sent off for two bookable offences within a matter of minutes.
Fylde looked to change things around as Gavin Massey was introduced to replace Jolley.
Jon Ustabasi thought he had found an equaliser with a downward header, only for Lucas Covolan to produce a brilliant stop in pushing it around the post.
Taelor O’Kane almost drew the Coasters level when he picked up a loose ball in the Braintree area, only for his effort to be brilliantly blocked at close range as they eventually fell to defeat.
That dropped Fylde back into the National League’s bottom four on goal difference ahead of this Saturday’s home match against bottom club Ebbsfleet United.
Braintree Town: Covolan, Marshall-Miranda, Terry, Langston, Clampin, Vennings, Davidson-Phipps, Blackwell, Lisbie (Brothers 90), Effiong, Cooper (Akinde 80). Subs not used: Nielsen, McPherson.
AFC Fylde: Winterbottom, Hosannah, Whelan, Obi, Evans, Haughton, Mitchell, O’Kane, Roberts, Ustabasi, Jolley (Massey 73). Subs not used Richardson, Gamble, Zanzala, Bardell, McFayden, Riley.