Prescot Cables 0 Rossendale United 2

THE weather-disrupted season seems to have affected Prescot more than most.

This was only their fifth league game in three months and the cohesion that they showed in the first three months of the season, which took them to the top of the NWCFL, was sadly missing.

Having said that, they had the better of the opening exchanges against Rossendale. Garforth was the first to create a half-chance when he cut in from the left but his shot across the face of the goal went narrowly wide. Then Warder slipped a neat through ball to O'Callaghan whose shot was deflected for a corner off Bird. And O'Callaghan was later denied by a last-ditch tackle after being set up by O'Neill.

But Prescot were stunned on 25 minutes when Rossendale took the lead through Cunningham who got a touch at the near post on a low-flighted corner which was enough to steer it into the net.

Despite their pressure Prescot were unable to create any clear-cut chances during the remainder of the half against a solid Rossendale defence.

The second-half started in the same vein as the first had finished, with Prescot pressing but unable to create chances. They introduced leading scorer Jensen, recovering from injury, ten minutes into the half and he brought a magnificent save from Andrews with a delightful chip that the keeper managed to tip onto the bar.

Three corners in the space of a minute were evidence of Prescot's pressure that brought some desperate defending from the visitors. However, as the game wore on it was Rossendale who began to create the better chances and Sargeson struck the killer-blow after 79 minutes when he seemed to pull down Hughes but was allowed to run on and lift the ball over the advancing Dahl.

Prescot's attempts to rescue the game were thwarted by the visitors' packed defence and Dahl was required to save twice from Gray, when Rossendale broke sharply.