FC Isle of Man endured a frustrating evening at the Bowl on Saturday, suffering their first defeat of the North West Counties Premier Division season with a narrow 0-1 loss to Longridge Town.

Despite dominating large portions of the match and playing against 10 men for the final 20 minutes, the Ravens were unable to find a way through a determined Longridge defence.

The game began with a lively tempo, and the hosts looked dangerous early on.

In only the sixth minute, a well-worked move saw Ste Whitley play a deft pass to Sean Doyle, whose shot was saved by Longridge goalkeeper Jordan Gidley.

Danny Gerrard was quick to follow up and slotted the ball into the net, but his effort was chalked off for offside. 

Just a minute later, disaster struck for the home side.

A rare error by goalkeeper Adam Kiley saw him caught in possession and stranded out of position.

Longridge Town’s Matthew Van Wyk stole the ball off the keeper on the right of the box, squaring a pass to the unmarked Harvey Roberts, who calmly finished into an empty net to give the away side an early 1-0 lead.

The Ravens responded well, with Whitley continuing to threaten down the right.

In the 27th minute, he delivered a dangerous cross that deflected off Ridge defender Connor Newton and struck the post.

Despite their best efforts, the islanders were unable to find the back of the net before half-time, going into the break trailing by a single goal.

The second half saw FC Isle of Man continue to press for an equaliser in front of a crowd of 561, but Longridge withdrew into a low defensive block and held station.

The match took a dramatic turn in the 67th minute when Longridge midfielder Jacob Bridges was sent off for a second bookable offence after a clash with Callum Sherry.

With the away side now reduced to 10 men, the Ravens intensified their search for a goal but couldn’t find a way through.

Dean Pinnington came agonisingly close to levelling the score in the 89th minute with a superb free-kick from 25 yards, but Gidley produced an outstanding save to tip the ball over the bar.

Despite a barrage of late pressure, including several set-piece opportunities, FC Isle of Man couldn’t break down Longridge’s stubborn defence.

While Paul Jones’s side will be disappointed with the result, they can take some positives from their performance.

However, it was Longridge Town’s Harvey Roberts who stole the show. Not only did he score the match-winning goal, but his dogged performance in midfield was crucial in helping his side secure all three points, earning him the man of the match award.

FC Isle of Man will need to regroup quickly as they prepare for their next match away against FC St Helens on Tuesday evening, which starts a run of successive away games until September 7.

DEAN TURTON