A FIRST half header by Craig Andre was enough to secure a deserved victory for Darwen at the Anchor Ground.

Andre nodded in a Patrick Lauber corner on the half-hour mark to leave boss Steve Mullen purring with delight.

"I can't praise the lads enough, they worked their socks off in very difficult conditions," he said.

"We could have perhaps won the game by a greater margin but nonetheless it's a great result for us."

The outstanding Liam Taylor could have fired the hosts into the lead prior to Andre's winner but for some fine saves by the Cheadle stopper.

In the second half, Neil Zarac missed a decent one-on-one opportunity to extend his side's lead. But, in the end, just the one goal was required for Darwen.