Ramsbottom United ... 2

Glossop North End ... 1

AFTER back-to-back draws, the Rams were looking to put three points on the board against a team two places below them.

Glossop started the livelier as Andy Levendis cut in from the left and squared the ball to Stuart Harkness, whose shot was well saved by Mark Andrews with his legs.

Glossop's Dave Barhill then had a snapshot, which Andrews again saved with his legs.

The Rams gradually got to grips with the game and were unlucky not to grab the lead on 24 minutes when Matt Swailes retrieved a ball on the edge of the box, pulled it back across goal where Dave Gardner turned and fired in a shot. His effort struck Danny Broom on the arm and came back off the underside of the bar and was cleared to safety with the referee waving away penalty protests.

Stuart Harkness should have done better for Glossop when clean through and Glossop keeper Stuart Williams then pulled off an instinctive reflex save to deny Dave Gardner.

Up at the other end, Andrews was forced to make a fingertip save to keep out an effort from Harkness and the two goalkeepers were by far the best players on the pitch and it was solely down to them that the sides went in level at half-time.

The second-half started with Harkness having a clear run on goal after a mistake by Colin Bulwich.

Lucky for the Rams, the diminutive strikers lack of composure in front of goal ended with the ball going wide of the target.

The Rams finally opened the scoring on 48 minutes when Gareth Gardner broke down the right and his perfectly weighted cross found Matt Swailes, his shot took a deflection and wrong-footed Williams on it's way into the net.

The goal should have given the Rams the upper hand but it was Glossop who dominated for the next ten minutes, culminating in an equaliser on 60 minutes.

Levendis whipped in a cross and Rams defender Ged Walsh, in an effort to clear the ball, headed past his own keeper.

Andrews was busy again on 75 minutes as Dave Barhill skipped around Bulwich and curled a shot into the far corner. Andrews pulled off a great save and the Rams scrambled the ball to safety.

The Rams defence were now looking a bit shaky and Harkness forced Andrews into another fine save.

The Rams then went up the other end and a cross-come-shot from Danny Goodhall came back off the crossbar. Gareth Gardner was on hand to volley the ball back into the empty net but somehow Williams got across the goal and pulled off a fantastic save.

The Rams finally secured the points on 89 minutes; Bulwich beating Williams with a header from six yards.

The Rams' Luke Hardman hit a nightmare back-pass two minutes into injury-time when Harkness picked up the ball but Andrews stood tall and saved easily as the final whistle finally went.

It was fitting that it was Andrews who made the points safe for the Rams; his contribution in recent weeks has been immense.

The next game is at home to Congleton Town tomorrow (Saturday). Kick-off is 3pm.

RAMS: Andrews, Raywood, Brown, Bulwich, Walsh, Dyson, G Gardner, Clarke, D Gardner, Swailes, Fitton. Subs used: Hardman, Goodhall.