St Helens Town...2

Ramsbottom United...3

RAMSBOTTOM United picked up three superb points from this trip down the East Lancs Road, and it was just reward for a fine, all-round display.

Yet it was the Rams who came under pressure in the opening minute with St Helens forcing two successive corner kicks and from the second Matty Farrell headed past Simon Marsh to open the scoring.

After that early setback United rallied and Scot Thomas's 25-yard shot was only a yard over.

Andy Grimshaw fired in a first time cross that a Saints defender headed towards the bottom corner of his own goal, but keeper Phil Wood produced a terrific diving save.

On the half hour mark Ramsbotom exerted some sustained pressure, with Wood again in action, this time saving from David Yorke-Robinson.

Following a corner kick on the left Russell Brierley got in a header that was blocked, but the No 9 fired the rebound past Wood to put Ramsbottom level.

Yorke-Robinson then threatened the St Helens goal, with Wood making a last ditch save at the expense of a corner kick.

Right on the break Ramsbottom carved open the St Helens defence, but Russell Brierley headed narrowly over from Scot Thomas's cross.

At the start of the second half Ramsbottom brought on Carl Lomax for injured skipper Warren Brierley.

Russell Brierley caused panic in the St Helens defence when he broke away down the left before firing across the face of Wood's goal.

One or two late tackles started to fly in, with a player from each side going into the referee's notebook.

Ramsbottom were playing some great football and on 58 minutes took a deserved lead when Thomas played the ball back to Mark Brown, who hammered the ball home from all of 35 yards.

St Helens struggled to stay in the game as United went on the rampage and substitute Lomax shaved the post with a low drive.

It really was all Ramsbottom and on 71 minutes Russell Brierley made it 3-1 with a spectacular overhead kick that completely wrong-footed Wood.

A minute later Brierley went close to his hat-trick, but somehow Wood turned the shot away.

St Helens finally got out of their own half and Ramsbottom keeper Marsh had to deal with a couple of difficult crosses.

Ramsbottom continued to boss the game with Grimshaw and Brown dictating play from midfield as Ramsbotom took St Helens apart.

First Lomax, then Brown and substitute Dale Fielding had goal-bound strikes turned away by the impressive Wood, who, without doubt, prevented Ramsbottom running in six or seven.

Four minutes into stoppage time Lee Poland pulled a goal back, but it was too little too late for the Saints, who were flattered by the scoreline, for apart from the opening five minutes, they were outplayed in every department.

RAMSBOTTOM UNITED: Marsh 7, Blore 7, Langhorn 7, Boden 8, Smith 7, W Brierley 6, Grimshaw 8, M Brown 8, R Brierley 8, Yorke-Robinson 7, Thomas 6. Substitutes: Lomax (for W Brierley, 46 mins) 6, Goodall (for Thomas, 67 mins) 7, Fielding (for Yorke-Robinson, 85 mins).

Tomorrow Ramsbottom play NW Counties Division Two side Chadderton in an FA Cup preliminary round tie at the Riverside (kick-off 3pm).