Brilliant Moors were forced to settle for a point at Mill Farm on Tuesday evening as AFC Fylde came from two goals down to claim a draw.
Under the stewardship of Jamie Chandler, James Curtis and Chris Mason, Moors produced arguably their best performance of the season and will feel aggrieved they did not come away with a win.
A superbly crafted goal from Rob Ramshaw and a thunderous free kick from Glen Taylor had Moors in the driving seat but Nick Haughton hit back twice for the hosts, with the leveller coming in the 89th minute from a debatable penalty.
Moors showed four changes from the team which started at Farsley on Saturday. Harry Flatters was preferred in goal and John Lufudu came in at right-back, while Mark Anderson and Danny Greenfield were rewarded for impactful weekend substitute appearances with starts at Mill Farm.
It was the hosts who started the brighter and there was an early chance for danger man Haughton when he picked the pocket of Jo Cummings and drove towards goal only to see his low shot flash wide.
Moments later, The Coasters put the ball back into Moors’ penalty area, but this time Danny Philliskirk arrived to send a header too high to trouble Flatters.
Haughton continued to look a threat though and he found space for another effort on 15 minutes but this time his curling effort went over the bar.
Moors’ first opportunity came when Jordan Thewlis did well to get clear down the right before being brought down by a defender – the referee played the advantage and that allowed Glen Taylor to drive a powerful shot on goal which was parried away by home keeper Chris Neal.
Haughton then turned menacingly on to his left foot to curl another effort just wide, while Curtis Weston also fired off target after finding some space on the right of the box.
The best chance of the half came for Moors in injury time when Fylde failed to fully clear a corner and when the ball came back into the box it fell kindly for Joe Tait who rushed his effort and volleyed it too high.
Moors began the second half on the front foot and Thewlis had the first chance when he wriggled into space just inside the area, but his shot was deflected straight into the hands of Neal.
Next to test Neal was Anderson when Taylor turned infield from the left to feed the ball into the midfielder’s path 25 yards out, but his well-struck drive was parried clear by the Coasters’ keeper.
The pressure paid off just after the hour when Anderson produced an incisive pass which split the Fylde defence to find Rob Ramshaw, who coolly rounded Neal before sliding Moors in front.
It got even better on 68 minutes when Moors were awarded a free kick 20 yards from goal. A few candidates emerged, but Taylor was given the nod and he lashed an unstoppable strike into the bottom right corner for 2-0.
The hosts grabbed a lifeline on 73 minutes when a good move down the left involving substitute Tom Walker, saw the ball come to the feet of Haughton and he drove a lot into the net.
Moors responded positively to the setback and tried to get back on the front foot but were dealt a killer blow on 89 minutes. Ramshaw lung himself in the way of a powerful shot and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Haughton stepped up to score and level things up at 2-2.
Haughton could even have won it injury time when the ball looped up to him on the right of the penalty area but his volley on the turn flashed wide.
Full Time: AFC Fylde 2 Moors 2
AFC Fylde: Neal, Morrison, Whitmore, Bird (Cranston 52), Weston, Philliskirk, Hatfield, Conlan, Barrett (Walker 60), Haughton, Ligendza (Patten 68).
Subs not used: Obi, Whitehead.
Booked: Bird (43), Cranston (80)
Moors: Flatters, Lufudu, Tait, Cummings, Duxbury (Ledger 90), Greenfield (Cousin-Dawson 19), Anderson (Preston 74), Ramshaw, Thewlis, Allan, Taylor.
Subs: Chandler, Watt.
Booked: Taylor (52), Duxbury (84), Tait (89), Cousin-Dawson (90), Cummings (90)
Referee: Shaun Taylor
