COLNE continued their championship chase with their second win of the week, beating promotion rivals Flixton at Holt House.

In a scrappy first half, the Reds played most of the football but without reward.

Colne stepped up a gear after the break and 10 minutes into the second half a ball through midfield paid off when Gavin Cooper crossed for John Whiteside to head in the opener on his debut.

Colne piled the pressure on the visitors as they pushed for a second goal, and it arrived on 65 minutes.

Ross Baxter's long clearance wasn't dealt with by the Flixton defence and Carl Haworth raced through to round the keeper and slot home.

The game then erupted with five bookings and then a sending off for Fixton in a 10-minute spell as the referee struggled to keep control.

The visitors pulled a goal back with 14 minutes remaining, despite their one-man deficit, before Baxter had to be at his best to make a double save to preserve all three points for Colne.