REMCYA Litherland 0 Squires Gate 2: First victory of season

Luke Evans made just one change to the starting line-up from the 3-3 midweek draw with Irlam as Luke Holden replaced Louis Shields. Prince Yelegon and Saad Mekkaoui-Abouzaid came onto the bench .

The visitors came agonisingly close to taking the lead after nine minutes. Theo Ball did well down the left, cut inside and fired in a powerful show which rattled the far post.

Litherland went close themselves five minutes later from a cross to the back post but Nathan Pennington made a smart save.

Ball thought he had opened the scoring on 31 minutes, lobbing the keeper only to see the flag raised for offside.

Gate’s celebrations were cut short again five minutes into the second half, when Cliffe’s shot struck a stanchion and was deemed not to have crossed the line.

Litherland countered and should have opened the scoring from a cross to the far post but volleyed over from close range.

Gate got back on top, though, and broke the deadlock on 57 minutes. A low cross from Ryan Riley was flicked over the line by Ball despite an attempted clearance, though Rowan Chambers smashed home the rebound to make sure

Cliffe was sin-binned after the goal for dissent and Litherland had their best spell against 10 men as Pennington made two vital saves and a free-kick narrowly missed the top corner.

Cliffe returned and secured the victory with a deserved goal on 83 minutes. Driving at the defence and using substitute Yelegon as a decoy, Cliffe fired clinically into the bottom corner.

There were minutes off the bench for substitutes Ryan Powell and Dan Smith as Gate consigned Litherland to a third straight premier division defeat.

The win lifts Gate to 13th, with four points from four games, and they will aim to build on this at home to Padiham on Wednesday.

GATE: Pennington, Hughes, Welsh, Chambers, Holden, Westwood (c), Riley, Webster, Ball, Cliffe, Boyd; subs: Smith, Yelegon, Kay, Mekkaoui-Abouzaid, Powell