MAKELA FIRES THE BLOODS TO WIN

DROYLSDEN leapfrogged

City of Liverpool in the BetVictor Northern North West Division after beating them 1-0 at the Berry Street Garage Stadium.

The first half was a closely-fought affair with no clear-cut opportunities for either side but the Purps came closest when Droylsden did not fully clear a free-kick and Jay McCarten’s hammered shot was blocked.

After the interval, the match had no flow and littered with stoppages for bookings and free-kicks.

The deadlock was broken in the 79th minute when substitute Fasutin Makela curled a free-kick over the wall and into the net from 25 yards.

Late on the Purps were incensed when they had a penalty shout after Lewis Gilboy was brought down in the box, but he was booked for diving.

Trafford were left to reflect on a missed penalty by Lewis Salmon after a goalless draw with

Colne and they are without a win in ten games.

Salmon was tripped by Colne goalkeeper Hakan Burton in the seventh minute as he broke clear, but the keeper redeemed himself producing a fine reflex save from the spot-kick.

Burton saved a shot by Max Hazeldine in the 27th minute but as half-time approached, Marcus Poscha and Billy Hasler-Cregg both shot weakly at Trafford keeper Matt Cooper from great positions.

Defence dominated the second half, but Burton produced another fine save in the 58th minute when he deflected a Hazeldine shot onto the crossbar with Trafford vainly claiming that it had crossed the goal line.

Opportunities came the way of Trafford skipper Sam Egerton, who just failed to connect with a back-post header, whilst at the other end Cooper saved brilliantly to thwart close range efforts by Eli Hey and Bradley Lynch.

Pontefract Collieries

continued their push at the sharp end of the table as they recorded a triumphant 4-2 victory away at

Pickering Town.

Bradley Dockerty opened the scoring on ten minutes when he picked the ball up from 30 yards, beat two men and fired past the keeper. The lead doubled when Joe Lumsden capitalised on calamitous defending to get in behind and slot home.

After the break, Michael Dunn grabbed Pontefract’s third when he broke down the left and cut back to James Baxendale who scored.

Pickering pulled one back through Niall Tilsley in the 76th minute but the visitors restored their advantage when Vaughan Redford scored a penalty after Dunn was brought down in the box.

The deficit was reduced once more in the 83rd minute when Iwan Heeley scored a penalty for the home side but they remain bottom and five points adrift of safety.

Runcorn Linnets

celebrated Michael Ellison becoming their longest serving manager with a 2-1 victory over Ossett

United.

Paul Shanley bagged the first goal of match for Runcorn in the third minute when he scored from the edge of the six-yard box and Ally Brown added a second just ten minutes later after netting from close-range.

Ossett were then reduced to ten men for the final 20 minutes when substitute Brodie Litchfield was sent off.

However, they pulled one back and made Runcorn sweat when Jack Stockdill scored with five minutes of normal time remaining, but the hosts held on for the win.

Elsewhere Widnes and

Mossley played a goalless draw which leaves them 17th and 10th respectively.