Fleetwood Town FC 2 Marine FC 3

Tuesday September 4th 2007 UniBond League Premier Division

Crowd 648

Goals: FTFC – Jamie Milligan (pen), Steve Foster (pen) MFC – Phil Robinson (o/g), Robbie Talbot, Lee Parle

Fleetwood Town’s unbeaten start to the season ended at the hands of bogey side, Marine. In truth, Fleetwood were never anywhere near their best and with ex Town goal-keeper Andy Banks in superb form for the visitors on his 1^st visit back to Highbury Stadium, you sensed that this was not to be Fleetwood’s night. Andy Bell was rested in order that Steve Foster could make his first league start up front while Michael Brown and Jerome Fitzgerald were still absent with injury; Kieran Walmsley and Jonathan Smith stepping into the breach.

Marine took the lead with a somewhat bizarre goal; Danny Hurst opting to punch rather than catch an ins-winging corner and then watching in horror as the ball cannoned back off one of the myriad of bodies in front of him and into the net. Fleetwood finally equalized early in the second half thanks to a Jamie Milligan penalty; awarded after a fine solo run by Ciaran Donnelly had ended with him being impeded in the penalty area. But Marine had not read the script and within minutes they had re-taken the lead.

Fleetwood battled back but Banks was in no mood to offer favours to his old team-mates; making a string of fine saves. With Town pressing forward for an equalizer, Marine mounted a decisive counter attack and a speculative but well directed shot from wide on the right gave Hurst no chance and provided the visitors with a vital two goal cushion. Inevitably, with the game already over, Town pulled a goal back deep in injury time; Foster scoring from the spot after the referee had awarded a penalty for hand-ball. Seconds later, the final whistle was blown and Town’s 100% record was no more.

Fleetwood Town Team: Danny Hurst, Phil Robinson, Shaun Gray, Johnathan Smith, Ricky Mercer ©, Nathan Pond, Kieran Walmsley, Ciaran Donnelly, Phil Denney (Andy Bell), Steve Foster, Jamie Milligan (Richie Allen) Not Used: Martin Moran

Marine Team: Andy Banks, Adam Farley, Wayne McDermott, Phil Brazier, James Connolly ©, Steve Hussey, Darren Brookfield (Freddie Potter), Lee Parle, Robbie Talbot (Jamie Holme), Peter Cumiskey (Karl Brown), Paul Woolcott

Officials: J Simpson (Referee), P Evans and MSJ Pope