Cheadle Town 2-0 Stockport Town

Merry Christmas.

A little stat for you first: believe it or not, this was the first time that we have managed back-to-back league wins all season. Seriously. It is - go and look at the Results & Fixtures page.

And what a time to get it, in front of a bumper Boxing Day crowd of 108 that had decided they'd had enough of the indoors and wanted a bit of fresh air for the afternoon.

They would have enjoyed a measured performance from us that eventually got the rewards it deserved.

After an opening quarter hour of nothing much happening Justin Pickering was the first to make an attempt on goal, being put through on the left but managing to slice his shot wide.

Just four minutes later and Webb was presented with his first chance, seeing the ball rebound to him on the edge of the area and, with the goal seemingly at his mercy, being unfortunate to have his effort blocked at the last.

With four minutes of the first half remaining our poking and prodding paid off; Justin Pickering finding Reece Webb in acres of space in the box and with all the time in the world to pick his spot.

Justin was through again just three minutes into the restart, shooting wide after being put through on the right before George Blackwell went on a mazy run down the right, cut inside and forced a great stop from the opposing keeper.

With a quarter of an hour to go the lead was doubled.

A long ball forward was chased by substitute Buckley who beat the keeper to it, nodding the ball onwards into the path of the onrushing Webb who had the simplest of tasks of prodding home into an empty net.

There was almost a third but it took a superb save to deny Rick Whyatt's excellent turn-and-shot from close range.

If our keeper Dane Smith had an energetic Christmas Day then he can be thankful that our opposition gave him very little to do, bar watching the ball roll wide of the net when one of their forwards was put clean through on the left on the 21st minute.

Three useful points...and onwards to Eccleshall away on Monday 2nd.

TEAM: Smith, Dunn, Banda, German, Tongue, Shaw, Todd (Whyatt), Russell, Webb (Magida), Pickering (Buckley), Blackwell. SUBS: Tosum, Magida, Whyatt, Buckley, C Sherrington.