LANCASTER City crashed to a third straight Conference North defeat as strugglers Stalybridge Celtic snatched three points that should have stayed in the Red Rose capital, writes Matt Donlan.

City didn't play badly but were guilty of missing their chances and were hit by a sucker punch on the stroke of half-time.

And that is why Phil Wilson has seen his side go from genuine play-off candidates to a team nervously looking over their shoulders towards the drop zone.

City won't go down - a major achievement in a league jam packed with bigger clubs and mammoth wage bills.

And despite the miserable run, the signs are there that the good times could return.

With three strikers on from the start - delayed by 30 minutes after Stalybridge were caught up in the wake of a motorway accident - Wilson revealed attacking intent.

The only problem was those strikers had a day of firing blanks.

Steve Jones almost opened the scoring after 19 minutes when his header from Ryan-Zico Black's cross was pushed away by Craig Dootson, while Jamie Speare, in his last game at Giant Axe before moving to South-port, denied Andy Parton well at the other end.

The keeper was also quick to race from his line to smother a Steve Smith effort before Black's delicious crossfield ball found Tony Sullivan, who skipped down the right and crossed. But Peter Thomson couldn't make a good enough contact.

Then Dootson made a stunning save from Martin Clark's floated free-kick from the left touchline.

But as City looked to turn up the heat they were hit as a long ball downfield bounced awfully to deceive Paul Sparrow and allow Smith to chip home as Speare raced from goal.

City's day nearly went properly pear-shaped when, seconds later, Parton had the ball in the net again - only for the effort to be ruled out. If it was offside it was harsh so it must have been for a foul.

But when you get a referee as inept as Garry Wallace you expect the unexpected.

And whistler Wallace took centre stage a minute after the break when Dootson, who was still hobbling, was outjumped by Sullivan and Thomson saw his effort cleared off the line by Paul Sykes.

As the ball rebounded to Jones, the keeper chopped him down - but Wallace gave Stalybridge the free-kick.

That allowed Dootson to be replaced by Phil Robinson, who saved brilliantly from Jones and then from McMahon's bullet header.

Then Thomson managed to shoot wide from a couple of yards with the goal gaping - it was rapidly turning into one of those days.

And it could have finished seriously badly when Speare dribbled some 35-yards from his own goal only to be tackled by Aaron Wilford.

But the excellent Clark nipped in and made sure the keeper didn't bow out of Giant Axe with a howler.

CITY: Speare, Clark, Scott, Sparrow, McMahon, Moogan (Prince 59), Jones, Bauress, Black, Sullivan (Elderton 62), Thomson. Subs (not used): Yeomans, Hollis, Uberschar.