Steeton see off Thornton Cleveleys for battling away win

Building the win on the foundations of a solid defensive team effort despite being on the back foot throughout most of the game, the Chevrons had to dig deep yesterday to grind out a win that manager Roy Mason described as his side's “most important result of the season to date.”

And the win extends the team’s unbeaten run to five games ahead of Saturday’s trip to North West Counties Football League First Division North leaders Atherton Laburnum Rovers.

The hosts came flying out of the traps and caused Steeton a number of problems in the game’s opening 10 minutes.

Stuart Dagger saw his effort fly narrowly wide of the far post, followed quickly by Tyler Hallen striking the post after the visitors failed to clear their lines from a corner.

Though they escaped a handball shout, the afternoon soon took a dark turn for the visitors.

Turning to track back into position, Oliver Kirkpatrick went down injured and in a great deal of discomfort.

Following a lengthy delay, the Steeton centre half was stretchered from the pitch with a knee injury before being taken to hospital for further assessment.

Still under pressure, the home side must have wondered how they did not take the lead when Alfie Gibbon cleared a goalbound effort off the line.

Harvey Kelly then made the first of a string of outstanding saves between the sticks for Steeton, before his goal kick launched the counter-attack that led to the only goal of the contest.

Harvey Kelly had an inauspicious debut in goal on Saturday, but he was superb yesterday. (Image: Ian Meachin.)

Feeding the ball out wide to the right channel, Alex Stewart drove forward towards the Cleveleys box.

Cutting inside to position himself for the shot, the winger was felled inside the area by a lazy dangling leg from the opposition centre half.

Jacob Smith took the responsibility from the spot, seeing his penalty saved and tipped onto the post by a good low dive from James Faiers in the home goal.

But the ball rebounded back into play, and Owen Williamson reacted quickest to lob the ball over Faiers and inside the far post to put the away side into the lead.

Now with the lead, Steeton grew into the contest and were unlucky to not double their advantage.

A superb curling effort from Jake Townsend rattled the crossbar, with Faiers then making an outstanding double save.

He showed bravery among a sea of bodies to again deny Townsend, before preventing a strike courtesy of Stewart.

Starting the second half penned inside their own defensive third, the Chevrons remained resolute to keep their hosts at bay.

However, luck was also on the side of the men in blue and yellow as a free header at the far post was somehow turned wide from a corner.

Kelly quickly became the man of the hour for the visitors, continuing to make a number of outstanding saves both from close and long range to keep his side in the lead.

The highlight was an outstretched diving save to his left to tip a strike by Liam Sharpe around his near post.

At the other end, chances were few and far between but a challenge in the air by Josh Debenham on Faiers led to the two sets of players exchanging unpleasantries.

Both Debenham and the Cleveleys goalkeeper were issued yellow cards, with the referee keen to move on from the incident as the clock ticked down.

Frustrated at their inability to break down the resilient back line, a number of late balls over the top were cleared by Dan Illingworth as the defender showed his experience to get his side home.