Clitheroe 0, Vauxhall 2

STEVE Parry admitted his side struggled to contain the physical presence of table topping Vauxhall as Clitheroe crashed, perhaps a shade undeservedly, to their fifth consecutive FNWTL Division One defeat.

Clitheroe trailed a one-goal deficit for almost 90 minutes, but Parry was quick to point out that it was Vauxhall's bullish contact football that stunned his team and not sheer inability.

"We found it difficult to come to terms with the physical nature of Vauxhall's game," said Parry. "We've played them a couple of times this season, but they were different in their approach this time. The first half was particularly hard and it degenerated into a real battle and, although we got back into the game towards the break, it shook us up."

Nicky Young opened Vauxhall's account just three minutes in with a neat turn just inside the Clitheroe penalty area and a wicked shot which bounced across the face of goal and into the bottom far corner.

But the game saw few other clear-cut chances for either side and after a scrappy second half, Vauxhall grabbed a second in injury time.

Carl Spellman picked up a loose ball from a late corner and his rocket shot deflected into the bottom left hand corner.

Clitheroe take on Prescot Cables tomorrow (kick off 7.45pm) in their penultimate game of the season.