Todmorden Borough boss Craig Milnes is hoping for more of the same this weekend after his side stormed up the table with their biggest win of the season.
Borough beat West Lancashire League visitors Milnthorpe Corinthians 3-0 on a heavy Bellholme pitch last Saturday - the first time they have scored three goals this season.
Having started the day bottom, Borough climbed above their visitors, Walney Island, Barrow Wanderers and Stoneclough after that quartet all lost.
They have a chance to make further headway when they travel to play Barrow Wanderers this weekend.
Barrow have lost seven of their eight home games, including a 2-1 defeat to Furness Cavaliers last Saturday.
Milnes’s side have an identical away record this season, so cannot afford to be complacent, but the boss said team spirit was soaring and they hoped to travel with a strong squad.
Having climbed off the foot of the table, Milnes is hoping for a mid-table finish. “I don’t see why not,” he said. “Only two or three teams are out on their own. Everyone else can beat each other.
“It is the first time we have scored more than two goals. Hopefully that will help us turn the corner and we can kick on a bit.”
After successive postponements, heavy rain on Friday evening and overnight put the game in jeopardy.
However, chairman Kevin Brough, treasurer Phil Morton, ex-boss John Gilford, Milnes and assistant boss Andy Pilling worked hard to ensure the game went ahead.
They were rewarded with a workmanlike performance and three valuable points.
After a goalless first quarter, in which Chris Kay hit the bar and had another effort just wide, Borough scored twice in little more than five minutes.
Jack Dungworth had a hand in both goals.
He put in a good cross for Dean Farry to outjump a much taller defender and the ‘keeper to head home. A Dungworth header on the edge of the box was then volleyed into the bottom corner of the net by Cameron Hanson.
Centre backs Harry Whitehead and Jack Leeming dealt well with some dangerous balls knocked forward by Corinthians.
Borough made the game safe with a third goal midway through the second half. James Peavoy’s cracking through ball released Kay, who went through one-on-one and beat the ‘keeper.
Home custodian Elliott Gilford didn’t have a shot to save but was rounded late on, only for the Corinthians player to miss the target.
A jubliant Milnes joked that he had nearly had a nose bleed when he had seen the league table.
He praised all 17 players who had turned up and pledged to rotate his squad to give those who hadn’t got on some game time.
Todmorden emerged injury-free from Saturday’s game but left back Daniel Lively is unavailable for the trip to Barrow.
Woodhouse United, out of action last weekend, are due to host third-placed Talbot Head in Division One of the Rochdale Sunday League this weekend.
United are bottom with only four points from eight games.