Clitheroe were beaten 2-0 away at Wythenshawe despite fighting hard with ten men, but two late goals broke them down in a game that the Blues had hoped for payback after their FA Cup exit at the same ground only a couple of months earlier.

It was a feisty start, with Clitheroe clearly looking for revenge following that earlier cup defeat, and Wythenshawe not wanting to let them get one back. The Blues put together a great move early on, started by a great touch from Touray, who set Nathan Sandison away down the line. Rather than shooting himself, Sandison chipped it to the back post, where Touray got a flick on it, but the goalkeeper was left to make an easy save.

The game then turned dramatically, as Sandison lunged in to win back a loose ball while Wythenshawe tried to play out from the back, catching the defender high in the process, and the referee reached for his back pocked to show a straight red card, reducing Clitheroe to ten men. Lacking a man, Clitheroe were forced to change their style of play, resorting to longer balls and looking to make use of Touray's physicality up front as they tried to make the most out of a very difficult situation. After going short from a free kick, Demi Rhami drove forward and decided to hit an effort from distance, and his shot was dipping as it got closer to goal, but it bounced wide of the post.

Wythenshawe kept the majority of the ball, as expected with the man advantage, but Clitheroe did well to keep them at bay and still managed a couple of chances of their own. It was mostly work rate keeping Clitheroe in the game at this stage, with an incredible effort from the whole team keeping the home side passing it round the back searching for a way through and giviving themselves a fighting chance. Clitheroe were arguably the better side in the closing stages of the first half, managing a couple of chances through Harry Scarborough and Touray, while still having to manage their shape and keep disciplined while a man down.

Half Time: Wythenshawe FC 0-0 Clitheroe FC

Touray picked up where he left off after the restart, taking the ball on the spin and going past his defender before driving into space and getting a shot away, though it dragged wide. Clitheroe already looked like they were staying the better side in the early stages of the second half. Wythenshawe's Sam Adewusi was shown a yellow card for a bad tackle on Touray, before the home side made a substitution, with Ashley Leather coming on for Callum Leigh. Clitheroe continued to look very strong, with the work rate from the first half carrying on into the second, and with nothing left to lose, Wythenshawe had barely had a chance in the half so far. Touray then found a break with the goalkeeper off his line and tried an outrageous effort from just over the halfway line, but it fell short and the goalkeeper touched it down easily. Clitheroe made a double change for their first of the night, with Jason Gilchrist and Rio Alston coming on for Rhami and Touray.

Against the run of play, the home side took the lead, pulling a cross back and taking advantage of the space left by Clitheroe being a man down to see Adewusi finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Clitheroe responded well, with Alston doing brilliantly to go between two players before offloading it to Maine Walder, who sent him in down the line. His cross along the floor found Gilchrist, but his effort went wide of the post, a golden opportunity to level the game going wasted. Only minutes later, Fteddie Machell had a chance of his own from the edge of the box, taking it in his stride, but his volley was blocked out for a throw-in, with Clitheroe really picking up momentum at this point. Clitheroe made a late double change, bringing on Jordan Carroll and Jordan Windass in place of Max Harrison and Danny Wilkins as they searched for an equaliser.

The hosts doubled their lead soon after, a short header backwards from Clitheroe gifting Wythenshawe a shot from the edge of the box, which Joel Mumbongo made no mistake with, slotting it into the bottom left corner. Wythenshawe made a another substitution, with Vita Mbolokele replacing Darius Palma. Clitheroe had another late effort of their own through Machell from distance, but it went wide, with them still pushing for a goal back into this game. Wythenshawe made another change, bringing on Finnlay Grady for Chidera Anuniru, while Scarborough was shown a yellow card for pulling back a Wythenshawe attacker as he drove forward. Wythenshawe made a final substitution, with Shahzad Sabree replacing Mumbongo, doing whatever they could to run down the clock. The home side continued to see out the closing stages, though Clitheroe kept pushing until the end in search of a way back into the game. Unfortunately, they just couldn't do it in time, and the referee blew the final whistle.

An amazing effort from Clitheroe unfortunately didn't go their way, with ten men holding out for over an hour before two late goals giving Wythenshawe all three points. A disappointing scoreline, but definitely not a reflection on the performance from the Blues.

Full Time: Wythenshawe FC 2-0 Clitheroe FC

- Charlie Barnes