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   Irlam FC 2 AFC Blackpool 2
By: Warren Dodd. Debut goals from Jonathan Mitten and Jonathan Maloney were not enough to seal victory for Irlam in their Vodkat League opener against AFC Blackpool, as the visitors nicked a late goal in the 85th minute to share the spoils at Silver St. With new Irlam manager Ryan gilligan introducing five new faces into the side from last season, the home team were still feeling there way as the new season kicked off. Blackpool, who looked largely unchanged from last season were early out of the blocks and Irlam captain Craig Hindley had his work cut out as he marshalled his defence through a tough opening 45 minutes. Up front for Irlam, Jonathan Mitten was proving a handful for the visitors and his physical presence will reap rewards for the Silver St outfit this season. A strong chance to put Irlam in front fell to Irlam's Paul lynch, who picked up a through ball that left him only the keeper to beat only to push the ball dissapontingly wide. with no goals at the break, an opportunity to regroup saw Irlam settle much quicker than the visitors in the second half and in the 67th minute their efforts were rewarded when Mitten gave himself enough space to rifle the opener past the stretching Speight in the Backpool goal. The tables were turned immediately however, when Blackpool score almost straight from the re start, admittedly with a bit of luck as a ball knocked hopefully up into Irlams half was flicked on mistakenly by Irlam's defence straight into the path of Blackpool no 10 Ben Waddington who stroked the ball past brewer in the Irlam goal. This signalled a strong period of play for the Silver St side, and in the 71st minute a lovely interchange of passes saw Irlam's Maloney get in behind the Blackpool defence to cooly finish from 6 yards out. 2-1 looked the likely result as the game drew to its conclusion, but another bizzare incident turned the game again as Blackpool drew level again. A free kick awarded on the half way line to Blackpool saw the away side pack Irlam's box , and Dodwells looping ball in from the free kick saw everyone miss the flight of the ball only for it to end up in the Irlam goal. With minutes left on the clock, the draw seemed inevitable and on the final whistle the points were shared. Irlam begin their preparation for a a historic moment in the Clubs history this Saturday as they host Chadderton in their first ever participation in the FA CUP. Kick off at Silver St is at 3pm. Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account. Got a news story? Need help with publicity for an event in Salford? Send it to newsdesk@salfordonline.com or call the SalfordOnline newsdesk on 0161 789 5377. |
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