FC Halifax Town 0-1 Fylde: We deserved something from the game, says Heath

Danny Rowe’s 44th goal of the season put Fylde on the verge of sealing the National League North title, and reduced Halifax’s hopes of success to the play-offs.

“Anybody who watched the game will now we deserved something from it,” Heath said. “The first-half was a tense affair. They slightly had the upper hand but there were no real chances - we had the best chance of the half with Josh Macdonald. Then second-half we’ve dominated for long periods, hit the post and then we concede a scruffy goal.

“But the lads have been fantastic, I thought they were excellent. We deserved something from the game.”

On Macdonald’s big chance before half-time, Heath said: “It was a nice bit of play. Neither team had a lot of fluency but it was a fantastic ball from Sinnott and you expect him to finish it but Josh was maybe a little bit rusty just coming back (from injury).”

But Fylde took their big chance of the game through Rowe after the restart, and Heath said: “I’m not being disrespectful to him but he did very little in the game, not a lot of link-up play, but he’s won the game with one piece, a swivel and hit, he’s not even hit it right but it’s on target.

“When you score that many goals you get that bit of luck. If he connects like he wanted to, Sam will probably save it.”

Winger Matty Kosylo, who has been out with a hamstring injury, came off the bench in the second-half and hit the post just before Rowe’s goal.

“He was never going to last the game - he’s only had one training session since he came back,” Heath added. “It’s a big gamble to start him and we were mindful of him starting the game and breaking down again.

“But he looked bright and fresh and the main thing is he’s got that 35 minutes, he feels more comfortable with the hamstring now, so hopefully we can get him on the pitch for Monday and the rest of the season.

“He’s got that ability to go past people, which is quite rare now, but he hit the post and that was the theme of the second-half where it just wasn’t falling the right side of the post for us.”