Fleetwood 0
Reds 0
Going in level at the break, the Reds will count themselves unlucky not to have had a penalty. Sam Winnall latched on to a through-ball into the Fleetwood area and was pulled down, but the referee and his assistant both gave nothing.
The Reds dominated the entire half and had the best chances, with the returning Hammill causing all sorts of problems for the Fleetwood defenders on one side, with Lloyd Isgrove doing the same on the other.
The first real efforts on goal came predictably from Sam Winnall, but the two early chances he had fell to his un-favoured left foot, meaning his strikes weren’t as clear as he would have liked, so Chris Maxwell in the Fleetwood goal saved comfortably.
After those initial efforts, the controversy came. Sam Winnall raced through one on one into the Fleetwood area, only to be pulled back clearly by the home-side Captain Nathan Bond, which the whole ground seemed to see except the referee and his assistant on the side-line.
The next real effort again fell to Winnall, but he headed wide this time from an Aidy White cross.
With Fleetwood not seeing much of the ball the Reds pressed forward time after time. Alfie Mawson was collecting the ball at the back on multiple occasions following the attempted long balls the home side were playing.
Maxwell in the Fleetwood goal kept up a succession of saves, this time from Josh Brownhill who hit a 30 yard stunner towards the top corner, but it was tipped wide.
Just before half-time, Adam Hammill was brought down in the area, but again the referee gave nothing.
Reds XI: Davies (GK), Bree, Mawson, Long, A. White, Isgrove, Hourihane, Brownhill, Hammill, Watkins, Winnall.
Subs: Townsend (GK), Roberts, G. Williams, Scowen, Fletcher.
