After Aaron Stafford’s early opener was cancelled out by Stephen Edwards’ quick reply and Shaun Chart saw red midway through the second half, Steven Jones grabbed a late winner for the Reds in a hard fought victory over one of their promotion rivals.

The Reds started positively enough, eager to put last week’s FA Vase disappointment behind them and they came close to taking the lead within the first minute. Steven Jones put in a devilish cross into the six yard box and only Andrew Neafcy’s intercepting header prevented Phil Stafford from claiming what surely would have been a simple nod in.

The home fans didn’t have to wait too much longer for the breakthrough as three minutes later Jones’ first time delicate knock over the Wigan defence set in Aaron Stafford and he slotted home from eight yards.

Sadly though the lead lasted less than sixty seconds as the old adage about being vulnerable when you’ve just scored proved true once again. From the re-start, the visitors went down the other end, won a corner and from that set piece, headers from Lee Crompton and Edwards brought the Robins level.

After this initial burst of activity the remainder of the half petered out, with neither side managing to dominate, both playing a constricted game down the middle that cancelled each other out. Ryan Small’s snap shot from the edge of the area brought about a save from Reds debutant keeper Christopher Ochwat and Aaron Stafford should have better tested Jason Foulds after he got the better of Crompton but his effort lacked power and it was an easy gather for the Wigan keeper.

AFC Liverpool came out after the break and began to force the match. Steven Jones’ dribble and shot from the edge of the area didn’t need a save from Foulds but he was soon in action, acrobatically denying Aaron Stafford after Jones put him through. The Wigan keeper was then in the right place as Neil Jones’ first time strike came straight at him following a scramble on the six yard line.

Aaron Stafford then came close to giving the home side the lead, turning Stephen Wallace and leaving him on the floor, but stretching and being closed in on from two sides, he couldn’t guide his effort on target.

In the ascendancy, the Reds were reduced to ten men when Shaun Chart was dismissed after clashing with Lee Lawrence, with the Wigan defender only receiving a yellow card. The visitors failed to make the extra man tell and it seemed as though the Reds’ chances of securing a win had faded. That was until Kieran Quinn’s ball released Aaron Stafford, and with two defenders tracking him, the Reds’ striker played a clever reverse ball that found a unmarked Jones who had the luxury of time to pick his spot before firing past Foulds.

With time still to find an equaliser, it was only in the final seconds that the visitors came close to snatching a point when Adam Whittle fired in a blistering shot from the corner of the six yard box that Ochwat took full in the face.

As it was it was three valuable points gained for AFC Liverpool that could prove vital come the end of the season.

AFC Liverpool 2-1 Wigan Robin Park
Stafford 4′                  Edwards 5′
Jones 82′

Attendance: 185

AFC Liverpool: 1.Christopher Ochwat 2.Callum Tai-Hogan 3.Darren Torpey 4.River Humphreys (14.Stephen McCluskie 46′(16.Neil Jones 52′)) 5.Paddy O’Driscoll 6.David Mather (15.Steve Corris 31′) 7.Shaun Chart 8.Kieran Quinn 9.Steven Jones 10.Phil Stafford (C) 11.Aarron Stafford
Unused Subs:12.William Jones 17.Jack Sinnott

Wigan Robin Park: 1.Jason Foulds (C) 2.Adam Whittle 3.Lee Lawrence 4.Lee Crompton 5.Dean Robinson (15.Stephen Wallace 55′) 6.Jon Corcoran (12.Christopher McNally 73′) 7.Scott Callaghan (17.Dean Midgeley 73′) 8.Andrew Neafcy 9.Ryan Small 10.Stephen Edwards 11.Steven Williams
Unused Subs: 14.Paul Vermiglio 16.Darren Mullen
Photo courtesy of Dave Williams.