A SINGLE Steve Jones strike was enough to keep Lancaster City's impressive end-of-season run going at the Giant Axe on Saturday.

The 1-0 victory made it four in a row for the Dolly Blues - and eight wins in the last 10 games.

But this was a below par performance against a team who are themselves chasing a place in the upper half of the Unibond Premier Division - and who were unlucky not to take away at least a point from City.

It looked like Lancaster were going to start where they had left off against Worksop in midweek as full back Martin Clark raided down the right and crossed the ball to Peter Thomson in the opening minute.

But Thomson couldn't get his shot away before a block came in and the ball rolled harmlessly to visiting keeper Stuart Coburn.

As the game settled down, it was Altrincham who had most of the ball and carried most threat, with Stephen Rose seeing his shot on 20 minutes beat Kevin Welsby but fly narrowly wide.

On 31 minutes the keeper made a superb reflex stop to block a close range effort from Marcus Hallows at the end of a spell of pressure.

And as the visitors continued to control midfield, Jamie Baguley broke forward and hit a shot which Welsby stretched to tip over the bar on the hour.

Minutes later, Lancaster substitute Ryan Elderton had half a chance to mark his return from injury with a goal as he raced on to a cross from Tony Sullivan.

The breakthrough finally came on 74 minutes when Sullivan flighted in a corner kick from the right and Jones was quickest to react, angling a flicked header past Coburn at the near post.

Altrincham threw everything forward in a desperate bid to salvage something from the game but it was City who had the best chances on the break as full time beckoned.

Thomson twice had opportunities to seal the points in the last 10 minutes but he fired horribly wide from a Sullivan cross and then hit a free kick straight into the defensive wall.

CITY: Welsby, Clark, Scott, Kilbane, Mercer (Haddow 69), Sparrow, Bauress (Elderton 17), Jones, Thomson, Sullivan, Uberschar.