Spennymoor Town 1 AFC Fylde 0: FA Cup exit and first defeat of season for Coasters

Dan Pike was adjudged to have brought down Jamie Chandler after 25 minutes and hitman Taylor sealed a first defeat of the season for the Coasters, who struggled throughout to find their usual rhythm.

Fylde boss Jim Bentley made three changes to the side that started Saturday’s initial tie, which ended in a 1-1 draw at Mill Farm, giving a full debut to loan winger Ethan Walker, while Liam Nolan and Jordan Hulme also came in.

David Perkins and Jack Sampson dropped to the bench, while another loanee from Preston, Jacob Holland-Wilkinson, has returned to his parent club since playing his final Fylde game on Saturday. Spennymoor boss Tommy Miller opted to field an unchanged XI to face their National League North rivals at Brewery Field.

The first chance of the game fell the way of Spennymoor's freescoring Rob Ramshaw but the striker’s effort was too high to trouble Fylde keeper Chris Neal.

The home side then created a flurry of chances. Ramshaw saw a header fly just over the crossbar, then Taylor and Brad Abbott were inches away from breaking the deadlock.

Taylor did so calmly from the penalty spot after full-back Pike’s attempt to recover and win the ball from Chandler was deemed a foul.

Moments later, it was almost 2-0 as James Curtis met a corner and headed just over the bar from six yards out.

Taylor tried his luck again, volleying left-footed towards the bottom corner only for Neal to get down well and palm the ball to safety.

End-to-end action ensued and Nolan's volley from Saturday scorer Nick Haughton corner was saved comfortably by Dale Eve five minutes before the break.

Fylde started the second half brightly and their best chance of the game fell to Tollitt on 51 minutes.

The winger found himself with time and space inside the six-yard box and volleyed towards the top corner, though Eve somehow managed to get a fingertip to it and divert the ball round the post.

Two minutes later Stephen Dobbie, who had come on for the injured Luke Joyce, went close with a drilled effort from Walker's overhit cross.

Spennymoor’s best chance of a second period fell to Taylor, who outjumped Alex Whitmore inside the six-yard box and headed powerfully but missed the target

Just before the hour mark, Joe Tait and Eve were involved in a defensive mix-up that allowed Tollitt to shoot but he couldn't direct his volley into the open net from a tight angle.

Tait was otherwise impressive alongside James Curtis at the back and went close at the other end, heading narrowly over.

In the dying embers of the game, Tollitt and Walker both had strikes blocked by a resilient Moors side, who threw bodies in front of the ball to secure their home tie with Southport in the third qualifying round a week on Saturday.

Fylde: Neal, Pike, Conlan, Whitmore (capt) , Stott, Joyce (Dobbie 49) , Nolan, Walker, Haughton (Osborne 69), Tollitt, Hulme (Sampson 69); Subs not used: Jones, Obi, Perkins.

Spennymoor: Eve, Hall, Tait, Curtis (capt), Magnay, McLean, Moke, Abbott, Chandler, Taylor, Ramshaw; Subs not used: Flatters, Thompson, Anderson, Peterson, Hindson, Kennedy, Mulhern.

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