CITY manager Tony Hesketh welcomed this weekend's break from the league with open arms following this great 3-0 win over Spennymoor.

The rest could mean Hesketh gets half of his first team back.

Injured players Jamie Udall, Kevin Barnes, Paul Haddow, Chris Ward and Paul Crompton are all responding well to treatment.

And with some of them back they could yet force a victory away at league leaders and promotion favourites Leigh RMI on Friday, February 25.

Especially if they all show the spirit of Shane Jessop who played a blinder - despite the fact that he dislocated his shoulder just four days before the match.

And the legion of youngsters who forced their way into the squad also displayed great spirit. Ian Dickinson played on the left wing and substitutes Pat Johnston, Jimmy Love and Tom Nicholls all made appearances in the game. Hesketh decided to put Kenny Mayers up front with David Eatock, while keeping with his 4-4-2 winger system. City took the lead in the 19th minute when a turn of pace from Jessop caught Spennymoor sleeping.

Jessop ran into space down the right wing and scooped the ball across the keeper from the edge of the box, and the ball went in off the post. Mayers gave City a two-goal lead in the 60th minute. A deft touch from Jessop put the ball to Mayers, who found space away from the defence and drove a powerful shot across the keeper and into the net.

Spennymoor gave everything they had to get back into the game but Lancaster always looked the more likely side to score again.

It finally came when another dangerous free-kick from Graham was spilled by the keeper, with Steve Trainor being the quickest to react. He calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net. But there was no doubting the man-of-the-match. And Hesketh was full of praise for brave Jessop. He said: "Shane Jessop has turned out the best game for this club so far.

"He has shown great strength to come back from such a bad injury so soon and has opened up their defence on a number of occasions with great confidence. We're definitely looking forward to taking on the league leaders."

Team: Thornley, Sparrow, Graham, Kilbane, Horner (c) (Johnston 86), Mayers, Martin (Nicholls 86), Jessop, Trainor, Eatock, Dickinson (Love 77).

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