Worksop Town 0 Lancaster City 1

LANCASTER City are edging ever closer to the top of the Unibond League table after a good away victory at Worksop last week.

City, fresh from their FA Cup victory over Altrincham, had not enjoyed the best of records at the club where Chris Waddle still plays the occasional game, but were able to put that right with a highly professional performance on Saturday.

Mark Thornley, who has been in sensational form this season,. played to his usual high standard, saving well from Linden Whitehall early on as the hosts enjoyed the better of the first half.

The second half was an entirely different affair, with the Dolly Blues running much of the game, with the absence of the influential Brian Welch, still out injured after an accident suffered during his work as a firefighter, overcome with hard work out wide.

Time seemed to be running out for them, however, until influential centre half Farrell Kilbane intervened.

Kilbane, who scored after just three minutes of City's last league match against Bradford Park Avenue, had to wait until three minutes from the end this time, heading home a free kick from Paul Haddow to send the Blues above their FA Cup rivals Altrincham into second place.

With the halfway point in the season now in sight, City lie just three points behind big spending Burton Albion, but have two games in hand.

They were due to play one of those games on Wednesday night, but their tie with Accrington Stanley was postponed as the East Lancashire outfit have an FA Trophy replay to fit in instead.