AFC Liverpool endured a miserable afternoon in Gorton as Abbey Hey claimed their first points of the season.After falling behind to Jonathan Hardy’s opener, the Reds led 2-1 at the break courtesy of goals from Francis Barry and Ryan Cox but a double from Bandon Zibaka and one from Des Flanagan ensured the home side took the points.

It was a disappointing end to the Reds unbeaten start to their league campiagn, especially as they created enough chances in the first period to be out of sight by the break but their profligacy was to cost them dearly as the home side made the most of the chances they created.

The Reds started in confident fashion and as early as the third minute a defence splitting pass from debutant James King put Francis Barry in the clear but from a narrowing angle, the striker couldn’t squeeze his shot past Jonathan McIlwaine in the Abbey Hey goal.

Then Ryan Cox failed to connect fully as Joshua Purcell slipped in a pass to the Reds’ leading marksman, an opportunity missed which looked as though it would be puncished less than a minute later when King was robbed of possession on the edge of his own box but Ryan Jones and then Michael Girvan denied Liam Murray and Jonathan Hardy respectively.

Carl Peers then bisected the Abbey Hey back line to feed Cox but the usually potent striker was off target and this missed opportunity was punished as a minute later no-one tracked the run of Hardy, meaning the midfielder was unchalleneged when he received the ball from Samuel Fitzgerald and so had a comfortable task of slotting the ball past Jones.

Still, this setback didn’t feel too damaging as the Reds were continuing to carve their way through the home side’s defence almost at will and just two minutes later, Barry stooped to head home Purcell’s cross to claim his first goal of the season.

A couple of minutes later, Jack Sinnott almost gave the Reds the lead after combining with Barry but the midfielder’s shot took the slightest deflection off Flanagan, enough to divert the ball inches wide of the post.

That piece of fortune for the home side seemed to matter little though five minutes later as Girvan and Barry’s quick, incisive passing saw the right back burst into the Abbey Hey box before driving a low cross to the back post which was converted by Cox.

There was though still a touch of vulnerabilty to the Reds’ defence, especially with a lot of high balls in a swirling wind, and Jones needed to be alert to tip over a Zibaka header and when Cox swept Purcell’s cut back wide of the upright just before the break, there was the creeping feeling that the wasted chances would come back to haunt the Reds.

Still. AFC Liverpool started the second period in much the same fashion as the first and Kiarno Samms’ sliced clearance of Girvan’s cross could have ended up anywhere. Fortunately for the defender, it only cost his side a corner, from which Barry should have at least sturck his volley on target when the ball dropped to him with time on his side.

Then McIlwaine managed to palm away Purcell’s close range header off the line, a save which proved to be crucial as just a minute later Zibaka fired home a free kick from twenty five yards.

Buoyed by the confidence this strike gave him, and with the wind nominally in his favour, Abbey Hey’s number nine again tried his luck from distance a few minutes later, forcing Jones to turn the ball behind for a corner and jusy sixty seconds later, Zibaka was attempting the spectacular with an overhead kick that saw the ball flash just a yard over the Reds’ keeper’s crossbar.

As the skies turned greyer amd the rain began to fall, so AFC Liverpool’s day turned from bad to worse. After yet another chance went begging when King met Peers’ corner unchallenged but put his header over the bar from six yards, within thirty seconds the Reds found themselves contributing further to their own downfall as a Tomas Stewart misjudged the flight of the ball, allowing Zibaka to round Jones to give his side the lead for the first time in the match.

Now AFC Liverpool tried in desperation to claw something back from the match but in doing so forgot their quick passing game that had proved so successful for them earlier in the contest and instead resorted to long balls, which the Abbey Hey defence were much more comfortable dealing with. Consequently the chances dried up and when Flanagan was able to convert a corner at the back post with a little over five minutes to play, the end was nigh for the Reds.

Abbey Hey 4-2 AFC Liverpool
Hardy 18′ Barry 20′
Zibaka 57′, 71′ Cox 28′
Flanagan 84′

Attendance: 63

Abbey Hey: 1.Jonathan McIlwaine 2.Kiarno Samms 3.Daniel Hewitt © 4.Desmond Flanagan 5.Kieran Burywood 6.Wesley Harney (14.Malam Varela 60′) 7.Liam Murray (16.Martin Kilgour 88′) 8.Kieran Shaw 9.Brandon Zibaka (15.Max Pouncey 85′) 10.Samuel Fitzgerald 11.Jonathan Hardy
Unused Sibs: 12.Adam Lawrence 17.Sam Jones
AFC Liverpool: 1.Ryan Jones 2.Michael Girvan 3.Muktar Mahama 4.James King 5.Tomas Stewart 6.Carl Peers 7.Jack Sinnott 8.Liam Loughlin © 9.Joshua Purcell 10.Francis Barry (14.Ronnie Morgan 58′) 11.Ryan Cox
Unused Subs: 12.Nevil Picton 13.Declan Morgan 15.Elvis Banyihwabe 16.Declan Loughlin