WHILE delighted his side managed to secure all three points, Shortholme's manager Bob Edmondson was gracious enough to acknowledge that Prairie deserved at least a draw from this keenly contested match.

It required a first half goal of sheer class from Shortholme's powerhouse, Ricky Sutcliffe, to divide the two sides.

And Edmondson admitted he never felt comfortable with the slender one goal lead.

"They totally dominated the last 20 minutes of the game and, to be honest, I thought they deserved a draw.

"We had the better of the first half in which Ricky Sutcliffe demonstrated just what an excellent player he is, but we lost our rhythm in the second half and they put us under tremendous pressure."

In the first 45 minutes Sutcliffe was a revelation and desperately unlucky not to have grabbed a hat-trick. His pace and close control, matched with a thrust for goal, had the Prairie defence living on their nerves. His goal - and it was his goal - needing no assistance from any team-mate, came in the 16th minute.

Picking the ball up from 40 yards out, he out-paced three defenders. Then from 15 yards hit an immaculate shot that gave Adrian Daye no chance, low inside the left hand post that had me jumping to my feet to applaud him.

The impact was immediate and seconds later with the Prairie defence at sixes and sevens, Shortholme almost grabbed a second when Daye allowed an innocuous shot from Richard Atkinson to slither under his belly, but as the ball trickled to the goal-line Daye turned and held it with his hand.

Prairie rallied and as Scott Threlfall closed in on goal it required a brave save at his feet from Shortholme's keeper, Colin Yates, to smother the danger.

Further efforts from Peter Holden and Mick Tregay went close.

And from a defender's back pass Yates gifted Rob Morrison with a strike on goal when his poor clearance fell to Morrison on the edge of the box.

Slight hesitation on Morrison's part, not to mention momentary surprise, allowed Yates to recover and, reacting quickly, he closed Morrison down and smothered the shot.

The rest of the half was all Sutcliffe. Two more tantalising runs almost brought him reward, but an excellent Daye save, thwarted a stunning 20-yard drive and after beating Shaun Peirce and rounding the advancing Daye, a second effort flew agonisingly wide of the post.

The second half produced similar results with neither side able to find that finishing touch.

Andy Wilson saw his cracking shot superbly turned round the post by Colin Yates and Mick Tregay was only inches away with a well struck drive.

Prairie looked to have snatched a deserved equaliser when Tregay met a Wilson cross and headed goal-bound, but any celebrations had to be muted as the ball hit the bar and bounced to safety.

Shortholme, penned in their own half for the last 20 minutes of the game, soaked up the pressure from a now desperate Prairie onslaught, refused to crack.

At the final whistle one goal proved to be enough to win the game and send Bob Edmondson home a very relieved man.

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