Atherton Colls 1 Scarborough Athletic 2.
ATHERTON Colls returned to the Skuna following the midweek cup heartache but buoyed by the fact that they had won their last two league outings.
Injury and fatigue had decimated the squad so Brad Cooke had busy on a recruitment drive to bolster numbers for the remorseless league run in.
Young guns, Anton Smith and Oliver Fannon were brought in from Salford City, Sky Sinclair arrived from Blackpool.
Elliot Rokka was also back in town after a month or so playing for Colne FC. Smith, Sinclair and Rokka started for the black n white stripes while Niall Battersby and Zack Clarke returned to the starting eleven.
A close run game played out on a sunny Saturday as Scarborough take one step closer towards securing their play off ambitions.
In a first half of few chances, Ashley Jackson's ambitious effort from outside of the area was the only highlight. The midfielder's effort fizzed just wide of the mark but certainly had goalkeeper Danny Taberner worried.
With only 45 minutes of the game remaining, both sides stepped up the tempo in search of a winner. Again, though, a close-run game played out.
Scarborough opened the scoring on 70 minutes. The Seadogs broke from a Colls attack smartly with Will Jarvis curling the ball around the advancing Taberner.
Colls answered back just six minutes later with the returning Elliot Rokka with a pin-point header from a Jack Lenehan cross.
The Seadogs, though, travelled back to the East Coast with the three points. With nine minutes left on the clock Taberner was called upon to make an important stop. The follow up was tapped home by substitute Jake Day.
There was little to choose between the teams and the Collieries were unlucky not the take anything from the game.
Athletic exacted revenge for the 1-0 home defeat in the reverse fixture.
Their impressive form continued unabated and they are certainly play off bankers at the very least. The home games come thick and fast. On Saturday Stalybridge Celtic visit, ko 3pm and next Tuesday, Witton Albion are in town, ko 7.45pm
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here