Daisy Hill 0 Alport 2
 
A goal in each half from Lee Pickerill and Dean Twigg got Alport back to winning ways at Daisy Hill. The league’s bottom club acquitted themselves really well on a very heavy pitch and although Alport barely looked threatened, it wasn’t until Twigg’s 82nd minute goal that the nerves were finally settled.
 
Sam Grimshaw made his debut for Whitchurch and gave an excellent performance which earned him the
man-of-the-match award.
 
Nick Marley and Grimshaw both had attempts on goal with the latter firing at Craig Haynes from a tight angle, and then Haynes did well to keep out Pickerill at the front post. But 20 minutes in the left winger kept his composure from 12 yards after Grimshaw had found him in space 12 yards out. Haynes rushed from his line but Pickerill confidently picked out the corner with his trusty left foot.
 
Daisy didn’t create too much in the first half although Jordan Donnelly should have at least worked Dan Read with a presentable chance that he fluffed on the half hour.
 
But the home side made it a much more even contest after the break with the pitch clearly a leveller and not really conducive to Alport’s preferred style. There were hardly any openings with neither goalkeeper breaking sweat but substitute Arron Johns came close with 13 minutes left following another decent pass from Grimshaw. He fired in an angled drive but it as the side of the net and not the back of it that rippled.
 
The travelling supporters were soon celebrating though when Mike Blundell’s first touch opened the door for Grimshaw. His shot beat Haynes but struck the base of the post, and thankfully for Whitchurch, Twigg’s run into the box gave him the simple task of knocking in the rebound.
 
This was an eighth consecutive North West Counties away win on the road, and an important one to keep the Reds’ automatic promotion hopes alive.