South Liverpool punish wasteful Ravens

FC Isle of Man fall to first home defeat of the season

FC Isle of Man were left to rue a raft of missed chances as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of South Liverpool in the NWCFL Premier Division this evening (10 October).

A stunning long-range hit from Joseph Clarke crashed in off the crossbar to hand South Liverpool the lead on 33 minutes.

Six minutes into the second half, they doubled their advantage after Neil Weaver swept home following a quickly-taken free-kick.

Tonight also marked the first time this season that 'The Ravens' have come away empty-handed on home soil.

Chasing a fourth straight victory in all competitions, FC Isle of Man this evening welcomed a South Liverpool side looking to bounce back from a comprehensive defeat in midweek.

The first opportunity at either end fell to FC Isle of Man on six minutes when a low Jason Chalmer cross from the left found James Lowther who, from around ten yards, fired a shot straight at South Liverpool goalkeeper, Dominic Garner who would go on to impress throughout the night.

South Liverpool's first clear-cut chance came on 23 minutes when a goalmouth scramble from a corner saw Clarke blaze over the bar from around nine yards out.

On 30 minutes, South Liverpool were almost masters of their own downfall when a mix-up between Garner and defender, Jack Bentley saw them collide and a loose ball fall to FC Isle of Man's Tomas Brown whose header looped over the 'keeper but didn't beat Bentley who recovered to sprint back and clear on the goal line.

With the hosts probing, they were stunned at the other end moments later when an FC Isle of Man corner resulted in South Liverpool racing away on the counter and ending in Clarke cutting in from the right and unleashing a rasping drive which crashed in off the crossbar to open the scoring.

Finding themselves behind at the break, FC Isle of Man's job got harder shortly after the restart when South Liverpool won a free-kick on the right flank on 51 minutes which was taken quickly and fed into James Flight who squared a low cross into Weaver who slotted a low first-time effort into the far corner to double the visitors' advantage.

The final 30 minutes of the second period saw possession dominated by the Manx side up against a resilient and well-organised South Liverpool defence.

The only chances of note in the closing stages saw a deflected Dean Pinnington strike curl just wide of Garner's right-hand post from the edge of the South Liverpool penalty area on 67 minutes whilst the stopper was called into action again to deny a Callum Sherry volley from around six yards away with two minutes to go.

The full-time whistle eventually brought to an end a frustrating night for FC Isle of Man in which they registered their first home defeat of the current campaign.

FC Isle of Man's next match will be against Atherton LR on Saturday, 17 October, at The Bowl in Douglas, kicking-off at 6pm.

Man of the Match: Joseph Clarke (South Liverpool)