Report: Market Drayton Town 2 Goole 1

It was with words of encouragement from Greenfields manager Martyn Davies.

He said, reviewing his team's 2-1 victory, said: "If they continue to play with the spirit and commitment they showed against us, I just can't see them going down.

"They reminded me of us last season," he added. "We weren't getting the results either but we kept battling, getting a bit wiser every game and that, in the end, saved us. Deservedly so.

"We did not play well and you've got to feel for Goole, the way they battered away at us in the second half. But you've got to give our lads credit too.

"The big difference for us these days is we've players who've learnt what it takes to win a game, and as that old saying goes, if you can win while playing badly, you can't be at all bad."

The gap between mid-table Town keeping alive their play-off dreams and Goole pulling away from their third-bottom position looked more like a chasm 17 minutes into the clash.

Goole were floundering, two goals adrift and having just lost their fourth goalkeeper of the campaign, Jack Wheat, to a face injury that needed hospital treatment while midfielder Daniel Bouth took over.

Wheat had bravely dived into a ruck of players trying to prevent Town's second goal, for which Cohen Bramall was eventually credited with the final touch.

Coming just five minutes after hard-working Will Whieldon's opener it looked like paving the way to a comparatively comfortable afternoon for Town.

But Goole turned things around after grabbing one back through Nathan Joynes in the 28th minute.

Nick Guest, Nobby Johnson and Sam Colbear all missed chances for Goole while Drayton's debutant keeper Greg Fletcher denied Lee Morris.

Paul McMullen was on hand to clear full-back David Taylor's effort off the line to ensure a hard-earned victory.

So much so that Town needed Fletcher's flying save to deny sub Lee Morris and McMullen's goal-line clearance from full-back David Taylor in the closing minutes to ensure a very hard-earned victory.

But while it might have been a struggle, Drayton go into another home game next Saturday against high-flying Lincoln United having lost only twice this year – which as Davies observes, can't be at all bad.