Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory

It had been a battling performance until the closing stages.

Gate had shaken the home side with a goal from Joe Shelmerdine from a cross from Seydou Bamba on 37 minutes.

The visitors then held on to that lead until half-time.

The second half saw a determined home side, throw everything into attack, and it came as no surprise when Mark Threlfall took advantage of a slip in Gates defence and slotted home the equaliser on 56 minutes.

Bamba and Shelmerdine, fought hard to take the game to the home side, while Jamie Nay and Andy Harvey cut off the line of attack down the wings.

Bamba was rewarded for his endeavours when he scored Gate’s second after 83 minutes with a 25-yard strike.

Just as it looked as though Gate would garner the points, Barnoldswick forced two late corners, scoring from both of them, via headers.

First Bill Williams soared high to nod home the equalizer, and it was a similar story as Mark Threlfall got the last-gasp winner after 90.

Squires Gate team: Worrell, Nay, Harvie, Bartlett, Gwin, Benfield, Forbes, McKenna, Bennett, Shelmerdine, Gain, Sellers, Nixon, Thornley, Taylor.

ELSEWHERE in the North West Counties League, AFC Blackpool slipped up 1-0 at home to Padiham, Andrew Tinkler getting the winner on the hour.

Bamber Bridge 0, AFC Fylde 2. AFC Fylde bounced back to winning ways in their latest pre-season friendly.

An experimental line-up six development squad players alongside the likes of skipper Glen Steel and winger Michael Barnes as Fylde manager Dave Challinor watched from the stands and development squad manager Andy Pilkington was in the 
dug-out.

Fylde took the lead on 24 minutes when striker Adam Farrell was put through by Michael Galliers, and he shrugged off a challenge from Brig defender Kevin Brown, lofting the ball beyond ‘keeper Lee Dovey to make it 1-0 to the Coasters.

Isaac Kusaloka collided with former Fylde defender Matt Lawlor, which resulted in a long delay with Kusaloka floored by the collision – he had to leave the field for more treatment.

Michael Barnes grabbed an opportunist second for the Coasters when he broke down the left and fired across goal and the ball deflected in off a Brig defender on 39 minutes to make it 2-0, at half-time.

Teenage substitute Brad Carsley came close with a header from Louis Lambeth’s searching cross.

Brig’s best chance came from a Luke Atherton header from a free kick which could have caught out debutant keeper Jordan Watson a former Preston North End youth player making his debut.

Midway through the second half substitute Ross Ainsworth came close to scoring for the Coasters when he beat the offside trap to latch on to Harry Winter’s through-pass – he beat the Brig keeper to the ball, but his blushes were spared as Luke Atherton’s last-ditch tackle denied him a goal.

Late on Andy Bell saw his header palmed away from goal by Watson in athletic style.

Fylde’s coaching staff regarded this as good experience for the younger members of the squad.

AFC Fylde team: Watson, Sealey, Lambeth, Bannister (O’Rourke), Steel (Capt), Kay, Kusaloka (Berry), Galliers (Noblet), Farrell (Carsley), Barnes (Ainsworth), Winter.