HYDE UNITED 2, AFC FYLDE 4
The margins were slender as plucky Hyde United’s run in the Emirates FA Cup was ended by National League North side AFC Fylde.
Had the breaks gone the way of the Tigers, manager Dave McGurk believed they could have taken the Coasters to a penalty shootout in their second qualifying round tie at Ewen Fields.
McGurk was disappointed by the two penalties that referee Michael Barlow failed to award his team.
“If the referee had said they were diving, I would have accepted it. The biggest frustration was he told me there was contact for both, but not enough to award penalties,” he said.
“They were fine lines and huge moments in the game. Overall, they deserved to win but as a team from a lower league you need luck and we didn’t have any.”
McGurk believes the performance against Fylde, two divisions above them last season, was on a standard that would have beaten most teams in the Northern Premier League and they are on the right lines.
It looked as though Fylde would run away with the game as Junior Mondal rattled the Hyde woodwork inside 20 seconds before Nick Haughton put them ahead in the fifth minute with a spectacular finish from outside the box.
Kurt Willoughby doubled the lead midway through the half when he cut in from the left and bent a low shot into the far corner.
In-between, however, Tom Pratt was put clean through only for goalkeeper Chris Neal to make an important block to prevent it being 1-1.
Hyde halved the deficit after 24 minutes when Fylde failed to clear a low corner and centre-back Andy Hollins fired into the roof of the net from inside the six-yard box.
Fylde, the seasoned EFL campaigners David Perkins and Danny Philliskirk catching the eye in central midfield, restored their two-goal advantage after a howler from Hyde goalkeeper Joe Green who allowed a Ben Tollit drive from 30 yards to squirm through his grasp.
Green pulled off a super save from Willoughby midway through the second half to prevent Fylde pulling further clear.
The first penalty shout in the 65th minute was when Chinedu Uche looked to have been felled – his reaction was one of incredulity which told a story.
The second came in the 87th minute not long after centre-back Tom Morris had found the net with a sweetly struck half volley from 25 yards any forward would have been proud of after a defensive clearance fell invitingly to him.
This time Tom Pratt was sent tumbling, but Mr Dobson was again unmoved.
Fylde were hanging on and running the clock down before they sealed victory in the sixth minute of stoppage time – four had been signalled.
Hyde, pressing forward in pursuit of an equaliser, were caught on a two versus one break as Tollit squared a pass for Luke Burke to sweep home Fylde’s fourth which gave them a flattering margin of victory.