Whitley strikes late to see off ten-man Glossop North End

Midfielder bags double as Ravens win in Derbyshire

Two second-half Ste Whitley strikes saw FC Isle of Man secure a late 2-1 victory at ten-man Glossop North End in the NWCFL Premier Division this afternoon (8 February).

After a goalless first half, Whitley opened the scoring in the 53rd minute, slotting home after being set through on goal by Dean Pinnington.

The hosts responded 20 minutes later as Lee Rick converted from the penalty spot before Glossop North End saw Abdul Djalo shown a straight red card for violent conduct with five minutes remaining.

'The Ravens' were then gifted a late winner as a mistake from GNE stopper Alex Brown saw Whitley capitalise and sweep home heading into stoppage time with a decisive second.

After a late defeat in midweek, FC Isle of Man made the journey to Derbyshire hoping to avoid a repeat of their last meeting with thier hosts which saw Glossop North End emerge with a 2-0 victory on Manx shores.

In a cagey first half at the Asgard Engineering Stadium, openings at either end were few and far between.

The best opportunity for either side fell to Glossop North End as striker Tom Lawless was sent through one-on-one with Ravens 'keeper, Adam Killey on 39 minutes only for the strike to send a shot just wide.

After a goalless first period, FC Isle of Man managed to break the deadlock eight minutes into the second.

Dean Pinnington finding Whitley in behind the Glossop North End defence who composed himself before slotting home to give the visitors the lead.

Glossop North End nearly responded in kind straight from the restart, putting the ball in the back of the FC Isle of Man net only to see it chalked for an offside.

The hosts looked to increase the pressure in search of a leveller and got their reward - winning themselves a penalty in the 73rd minute with Rick calmly dispatching from the spot to equalise.

Tensions began to rise heading into the last ten minutes with both sides searching for a winner and Glossop North End found themselves down to ten men in the 85th minute.

A rash reaction from Djalo after being fouled saw the referee brandish a red card following a resulting melee between both sets of players.

As the 90th minute arrived, FC Isle of Man were provided with a huge gift to decide the contest.

A poor clearance from Glossop North End goalkeeper Brown went straight to the feet of Sean Doyle who attempted to round the keeper to score before Whitley provided the telling touch to tap home into an empty net and grab maximum points for the Island outfit.

FC Isle of Man's next match will be at home against Barnoldswick Town on Saturday, 15 February, kicking-off at 6pm.