WHITCHURCH ALPORT 2 BARNOLDSWICK TOWN 0
 
A routine 2-0 win over high flying Barnoldswick Town pushed Alport into the highest placed position since winning promotion last May. Tim Sanders struck both goals in the first half and Whitchurch defended stoically throughout the second to frustrate the visitors. The Reds controlled the game for long periods and few would argue they deserved all 3 points on the day.
 
The home side wasted a glorious opportunity in the first ten minutes when Alex Hughes got in behind a defence that was too high up the pitch only for Ryan Livesey to make a smart stop. The away side continued to try and set the offside trap and they got it spot on after eighteen minutes when skipper Simon Everall found the net for Alport but he was a smidge out with his timing and the linesman’s flag was raised correctly.
But Barlick didn’t always get it right and Sanders timed his run to perfection to calmly slot the ball past the exposed Town keeper to break the deadlock after 36 minutes.
 
And it would get even better for the Reds as they doubled their tally just before half time. Hughes powered in a low free kick from 25 yards which Livesey managed to push out at full stretch. But Everall kept the ball alive and there was Sanders to tap in from a couple of yards to make it 2-0.
 
In the second 45 it remained a cat and mouse type of encounter. Luke Goddard’s men always looked dangerous on the counter attack, but they managed to keep things really tight defensively with both Darren Campion and Leon Ashman imperious at the back.
 
The best chance of the second half fell to Town and it came via a rare slip from Ricky Bridge and this allowed Ethan Kershaw to get a shot away, but keeper Dave Parton spared the left back’s blushes with a decent save. They wouldn’t have a better chance for the remainder of the afternoon, and the longer the game went on the more frustrated Town became.
 
Alport left the pitch to great applause from the vast majority of the 272 crowd.