Last gasp Davies equaliser earns FC Isle of Man a draw

Ravens fight back after going 2-0 down

A last-gasp Furo Davies header helped FC Isle of Man seal a 2-2 draw against Maine Road at The Bowl last night (20 November).

The Ravens came into the clash having won their last five, whilst the visitors Maine Road had won four of their last six.

It was the away side who started brightest testing Dean Kearns in the Ravens net and they put away the first goal of the game on 22 minutes.

Louis Edwards was on the end of a far post cross from a corner and controlled well before slamming a half volley into the Manx team’s net.

Maine Road’s solid game plan meant FC IOM were restricted to almost no clear cut chances, With Alex Maitland coming the closest when his header from a Ste Whitley cross narrowly passed the post with Maine Road goalkeeper, Conrad Betton, rooted to the spot

But the visitors went on to double their lead just before half time.

A sublime through ball from left to right found Youssef Bellatar in space on the right who cut in to face Kearns one-on-one and made no mistake slotting a low finish into the near corner.

2-0 down at the break, the Ravens started to see more of the ball in the second half and a crucial chance came on 66 minutes.

The Ravens were awarded a penalty after Maine Road man Ismail Suleiman was judged to have handled a shot on the line, with Suleiman receiving a red card for his infringement.

In the absence of Jack McVey, Sean Doyle stepped up and stroked a low left footed spot kick into Betton’s bottom right corner.

This seemed to stir the Island side into life, as well as the near 1,700-strong crowd inside The Bowl.

On 76 minutes, Ste Whitley thought he’d got the Ravens level with a sumptuous free kick only to be denied by a sensational stop from Betton.

With five minutes remaining, the 10-man Maine Road squad were then reduced to nine players when Abdullahi Ahmed’s strong challenge on Luke Murray was deemed dangerous enough for Ahmed to receive a straight red.

FC Isle of Man went in search of a last-ditch goal to rescue a point, and a grandstand moment secured it with almost the last kick of the game.

In the 93rd minute, Chris Bass’ corner from the left was met with a towering header from Furo Davies six yards out who nodded down into Betton’s bottom right corner, sparking delirious celebrations in the stands.

The 2-2 draw means the Ravens remain unbeaten in their last six.

Their next scheduled fixture is at The Bowl against Alsager Town on 4 December.

Attendance: 1,684

Man of the Match: Jamie Roe (Maine Road FC)