AFC Fylde v Blyth Spartans: End in sight for gruelling Tuesday run

It's not quite the Coasters' final midweek match of the National League North season – the visit to Curzon Ashton, postponed three times, is now set for the final Tuesday of the campaign – but team boss Adam Murray will no doubt sigh with relief come full-time at Mill Farm this evening.

The head coach won't deny a gruelling schedule has taken its toll but Fylde have responded remarkably to the challenge of catching up on their fixture backlog.

Victory tonight would lift them eight points clear at the top, still with a game in hand on second-placed King's Lynn Town.

Beaten only once in 19 matches since the turn of the year, Fylde have won their last four and kept three successive clean sheets.

Speaking after Saturday's 2-0 home win over Gloucester City, Murray said: “We did everything we needed to do to get over the line, though you could tell we didn't have our normal energy.

“I think last Tuesday took a lot out of us and we had the travel (to Norfolk to beat King's Lynn 1-0), so it was a long week.

"I didn't feel were were 100 per cent against Gloucester but we controlled the game and should have had five or six goals.”

Of tonight's challenge, Murray added: “Blyth are a very good team, who play football and move you about. It was a very tough game up there (a goalless draw at the start of the month). We're expecting a battle and another tactical game, which I always enjoy.”

AFC Fylde made it back-to-back wins in the FA Women's Northern Premier Division as captain Hannah Forster scored the only goal at Loughborough Lightning.

Forster capitalised when a corner by Manchester City loanee Emma Siddall was fumbled by Lightning keeper Kiya Webb in the 18th minute.

Webb was otherwise in fine form at University Stadium, pulling off a series of top stops, though Fylde also hit the bar.

Danielle Young twice went close before half-time and Fylde had further chances in the second half, though Salma Simonin and Alex Taylor fired just off-target.

Eighth-placed Fylde have now opened up a seven-point gap between themselves and the bottom two with four games remaining, starting at home to Liverpool Feds tomorrow (7.45).