Triple woodwork woe for Orient as they lose 1-0 to AFC Fylde in FA Trophy final at Wembley

AFC Fylde 1 v Leyton Orient 0

Leyton Orient crashed the ball three times against AFC Fylde’s woodwork, but still lost the FA Trophy final 1-0 this afternoon at Wembley.

The non-league showpiece cup, the equivalent of the FA Cup, went to the visitors from the North West who had Danny Rowe to thank when his brilliant right-footed, curling free-kick on 60 minutes arrowed over the Orient defensive wall and into the top right-hand corner of Dean Brill’s net.

Orient have the consolation of returning to the Football League as champions of the National League, but the loss at Wembley will hurt.

But Fylde had to respond to the early loss when skipper Neill Byrne, following a clash of heads lay on the ground for three minutes of treatment after just five minutes.

Despite getting up, walking off unaided, he was, after two minutes of discussions with the medical staff, substituted much to his annoyance. He wanted to stay on but when told no, he took off his arms and and trundled off down the tunnel. He was replaced by Tom Brewis.

The first effort fell to Fylde’s Jordan Tunnicliffe but his clipped right-footer drifted over Dean Brill’s crossbar on 14 minutes.

Alex Reid was next to test Brill and the goalkeeper produced a fine save to parry away a drilled left-footer from 20-yards on 20 min utes.

Reid scuffed a good chance four minutes later, Brill easily snaffling the weak, edge of the penalty area shot.

Orient finally had an effort on goal, on 25 minutes, James Brophy’s low, left-footer was confidently grabbed at the foot of his left post by Jay Lynch.

Fylde’s Andy Bond missed an absolute sitter three minutes before the break when the ball zipped across Orient’s six-yard box but somehow, he screwed his left-footer wide of an open goal. This was quickly followed by Reid, who missed his third golden chance to score by weakly striking his goal-bound effort.

The Londoner’s must have tad a telling off by head coach Justin Edinburgh during the break as they came out all guns blazing.

Substitute Jordan Maguire-Drew crashed a sweet 25-yard free-kick against the Fylde post with Lynch well beaten as Orient finally got their act together straight after the restart.

They then smacked the other post on 56 minutes when Marvin Ekpiteta’s header Rebounded off the woodwork.

But, against the run of play Fylde went ahead on 60m minutes. A wonderfully taken, curling 20-yard free-kick by Danny Rowe zipped over the wall and beyond Brill who had no chance to stop the sizzler.

Orient then it the post for a third time with 20 minutes to go when Joe Widdowson left foot drive crashed against Lynch’s right upright. The ball fell to Jordan Maguire-Drew who smacked it only to see it crash straight into team-mate Matt Harrold, preventing an equaliser.

That was as good as it got for the east Londoners.

Teams: Leyton Orient, Brill, Widdowson, Coulson, McAnuff, Clay, Bonne, Happe, Brophy, Koroma, Ekpiteta, Turley

Subs: Sargeant, Ling, Maguire-Drew, Harold, Lee

Fylde: Lynch, Francis-Angol, Byrne, Tunnicliffe, Bond, Croasdale, Rowe, Phlliskirk, Birch, Houghton, Reid

Referee: Andrew Madley