They had to pop his shoulder back in before Alex Lankshear popped up to guide home the only goal of this game and return a winning feeling to the Kuflink Stadium – but it made the victory even sweeter as the Fleet plunged their visitors back into the relegation mix.

Lankshear recovered from a dislocated shoulder in the first half to turn Franklin Domi’s effort over the line three minutes into the second period and Fleet kept Fylde at bay to record a first win since the same scoreline against Hartlepool United in September.

There were three changes for the Fleet with Toby Edser suspended and Tom Dallison and Dom Samuel injured. That meant back into the starting lineup came Domi, Alex Aoraha and Luke O’Neill while Dominic Poleon was also named on the bench.

Fylde began seeking to dominate possession and get at the Fleet early on – and they weren’t far off three minutes in when top scorer Nick Haughton drove a powerful free-kick narrowly over the crossbar.

The Fleet took until 10 minutes in to worry goalkeeper Ben Winterbottom. O’Neill launched a dipping cross into the box towards Aaron Cosgrave and Ben Chapman and the latter sent a cushioned header inches wide of the post with the Fylde defence caught napping.

Some quick-thinking and neat play from Haughton saw him release Owen Evans with a turn and square pass across midfield. Evans made ground down the left but his run was matched by Chapman who did enough to put the Fylde man off and his shot went harmlessly high.

The Fleet responded with their next attack and while George Moncur’s run through a pair of defenders was strong, his resulting shot lacked any venom and was easy for Winterbottom.

It wasn’t the most action-packed halves of recent times and there was more holding and shirt-pulling going on than football at times. Haughton hit a free-kick into the Fleet wall and Gavin Massey was pulled back for play-acting in attempting to win another one down the right.

Lewis Page, only recently returned from injury, had to depart on 35 minutes when he went down inside his own box and then it was a surprise that Lankshear didn’t follow him moments later. The Blackpool loanee was involved in a tussle chasing back in midfield with Ashley Boatswain and the Fylde man yanked him aside before falling on him.

Lankshear immediately looked in pain and oxygen was brought on as he was attended by both clubs’ physios but once his shoulder was relocated and strapped, the 22-year-old bravely carried on.

Domi then had a shot on target but the sting was taken out of that as it caught a Fylde player on the way through and Moncur had a couple of promising incursions into danger areas. His best run came in added time at the end of the first-half as he powered down the left from the halfway line but, approaching as he was from an angle, the Fylde defenders were able to get across and block him off.

The Fleet started the second-half as they’d ended the first but with an even better sight of goal this time. Mustapha Olagunju’s deft chip into the box was taken down by Domi, who turned back inside and hit a low shot that was heading right for the bottom corner before Winterbottom got down at a stretch to push it away.

The fans in the Plough End weren’t kept waiting much longer to celebrate, however. On 48 minutes, Chapman received a corner and sent a high cross towards the far post. Substitute Josh Passley climbed highest and beat Winterbottom to get a nod down towards Domi in the six-yard box. He got a foot to the ball in the ensuing scramble and Lankshear was poised to make sure it went in with the goalkeeper stranded.

Massey was guilty of some wild shooting and he missed Fylde’s next chance on 52 minutes before Joe Riley’s tricky little run ended with him curling a low shot just around the post. At the other end, Moncur’s strength took him clear down the left and he zipped a low one through the box that Winterbottom’s gloves missed but the ball rolled away past the post.

Rakish Bingham might have scored with his first touch after coming on around the hour mark. O’Neill slipped a pass into his path in the box and Bingham tried to squeeze it in at the near post but Winterbottom managed to. grab it.

An excellent free-kick down the right by O’Neill then found Passley who in turn played in Moncur but he got caught in two minds whether to hit it first time or take a touch around Corey Whelan, who in the end was able to take advantage of the hesitation and clear.

Cousins had to get involved to keep Fleet’s lead intact and he needed to be alert to get a hand on Tyler Roberts’ effort when the Fylde player’s run took him through on goal after Chapman’s back pass was in danger of running too slow. Will Hugill got in behind the Fleet defensive line to sweep a shot just wide and Cousins then denied Harry Davis’s header.

Fylde, desperate for at least a point, kept pushing but couldn’t fashion a further solid chance. Their best move saw Massey play in Roberts down the right who got a yard clear of Chapman but then threw himself to the ground after the Fleet player’s challenge a little too theatrically for the referee’s taste.

And with that, the Fleet earned the win – a huge boost and tonic for Josh Wright and his players and clearly for the fans too, who had been too long without a celebration and made the most of it at full-time.

EUFC: Cousins, O’Neill, Olagunju, Page (Passley 35), Lankshear, Chapman, Bolger, Aoraha (Bingham 61), Domi, Moncur (Manktelow 86), Cosgrave (Thomas 69). Subs not used: Poleon, Carr, Firth
AFCF: Winterbottom, Davis, Evans (McFayden 72), Mitchell (Obi 82), Bardell (Sassi 82), Whelan, Massey, Roberts, Riley, Haughton (Hugill 46), Boatswain (Ormerod 72). Subs not used: Long, Clark
Attendance: 1,215 (41 away)
Photos: ©EUFC: Dave Plumb/Tom Harris

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