Salford City 0 Prescot Cables 1

A STEVE O'Neill strike was enought o earn Cables the points on Monday.

It came after the opening half-hour saw goalmouth excitement at a premium.

The first serious attempt on goal came after 26 minutes when Vaughan hit a Salford free kick over the bar from 25 yards out. Prescot responded with a 20-yard effort from Colin Weston that was too high to trouble Johnson in the Salford goal.

Paul Dahl made an outstanding save after 33 minutes when he blocked a volley from point-blank range from Vaughan who had stole in unmarked at the back of the Prescot defence.

As half time approached Steve O'Neill hit a shot from 20-yards which Johnson fumbled but was able to gather. But O'Neill was on hand a minute later to steer home a cross/shot from Colin Weston to give Prescot the lead.

The second half started with an excellent movement down the right by Kevin Garforth and Steve O'Neill, whose cross was taken off the head of Paul Heavey by Salford's Greenhalgh. Prescot brought on the pace of Gary Jenson and Joe Gibiliru which unsettled the Salford defence. Prescot Cables 0 Maine Road 2

Prescot suffered a disappinting defeat in this midweek encounter.

They went behind after 24 minutes when they were caught out by a quickly taken free-kick which found Paul Wadsworth unmarked and he calmly shot home.

Three minutes later Prescot were 2-0 down when some sloppy defending resulted in John Russell being left free to fire past Paul Dahl for Maine Road's second goal.

Prescot's defence found its shape with the introduction of Simon Hughes, who had been delayed in getting to the ground, after 30 minutes. The second half saw Prescot take control but they were unable to make their chances count. Flixton 2 Prescot Cables 2

Prescot squandered a host of chances and the game could have been over as a contest after 15 minutes.

But with seven chances wasted, Prescot then went behind after 17 minutes when Dave Thomas looped the ball over Paul Dahl to score from Flixton's first chance of the game.

Prescot's attack looked sharper in the second half as they sought to pull back the deficit. It paid off when Chris Woodward blasted home through a packed goal area from the edge of the box after 64 minutes. Prescot were level a minute later when Steve O'Neill stooped to produce a bullet-header that flew into the net from a Kevin Garforth free-kick.