Official Frickley Athletic Website 

There was one enforced change to the starting line-up as goalkeeper Dan Taylor failed a late fitness test, with Mark Wilkinson replacing him. Gary Marrow also resisted the temptation to bring back Club Captain Steve Price with him having to be content with a place on the bench.

The Blues got off to a disastrous start as they gifted the home side the lead after just 75 seconds. From an Accrington free-kick down the left Simon Carden was left unmarked on the edge of the box for him to control the ball and knock it past Wilkinson and into the net. Rory Prendergast then saw his 25 yard free-kick go narrowly wide of the right hand upright after Simon Collins had been brought down. On 15 minutes Prendergast played a low free-kick from the right into the box where Andy Evans flicked it on to Leroy Chambers who turned and shot straight at Jamie Speare from 10 yards. After conceding the early goal it was now the Blues who were dictating play but on 25 minutes Wilkinson was called on to pull off a great one-handed save to deny Carden from the edge of the box following a Stanley corner on the right. The Blues were soon back on the attack with Chambers seizing on an under hit back-pass but he pushed it too far past Speare and couldn't keep the ball in play on the slippy pitch. Just before halt time Prendergast  charged down the left before being cynically brought down by Peter Cavanagh before he reached the box. Cavanagh was booked and from the free-kick Collins saw his 22 yard free-kick punched away by Speare.

The second half continued in the same way, with Chambers flicking the ball on to Collins who saw his low 15 yard angled drive well saved by Speare on 53 minutes. Gary Marrow then made a triple substitution on 64 minutes with Graham Lewis, Steve Price and Pete Myers replacing Andy Evans, Gary Reece and Matt Russell. This seemed to boost the Blues and a minute later Price played the ball down the right to Collins who sent cut it back across the six yard box but Lewis was just unable to get the touch it needed to divert it goalwards. Collins then played a great ball through the Stanley defence for Chambers who was dragged to the ground by Jonathon Smith but, amazingly the referee waved play on. This seemed to spur Chambers on and on 69 minutes he got down the left of the box and held off a defender well before cutting inside to roll the ball past Speare to the far post where MYERS tapped in from almost on the line. The home side now started to push forward more with Wilkinson easily saving a weak shot by Lutel James on 79 minutes whilst Paul Mullins was just unable to get a touch to a cross from the right by Gary Williams shortly afterwards. But, right at the death the Blues had a glorious chance to win the game. Myers got away down the right before rolling the ball into the path of Lewis who got goalside of the the Stanley defence before shooting against the right hand upright from just inside the box.

Accrington Stanley : Speare, Cavanagh, Hart, Halford, Smith, Flitcroft (Brennan 75), Payne (G. Williams 67), R. Williams, James, Mullin, Carden. Unused sub. Proctor

Frickley Athletic : Wilkinson, Simon Collins, Gowan, Reece (Price 64), Place, Jones, Russell (Myers 64), Hanby, Evans (Lewis 64), Chambers, Prendergast. 

Attendance : 404

Referee : Mr Neil Swarbrick (Preston)