LANCASTER City continued their improvement with a victory and a draw from the Bank Holiday programme helping to banish memories of their opening day debacle.

Tony Hesketh's men now have two more games in a week as they bid to get back into the top half of the table, starting with a visit to Hucknall Town on Saturday, followed by a Giant Axe clash with Gateshead on the Tuesday.

Bank Holiday Monday saw visitors Runcorn leave it late to grab a point they hardly deserved from under City's noses.

City dominated from the outset, but it took more than an hour for last year's leading scorer, Andy Whittaker, to break the deadlock with a close range shot on the turn.

Runcorn rarely threatened until Chris Lightfoot - a mainstay of Morecambe's defence last year, picked up on a rebound from a Mark Thornley save and hit home from the edge of the box.

Whittaker was also the goalscoring hero on his first game since injury, but Lancaster could have had several more at Frickley on Saturday, with a rare Brian Welch header chalked off for offside.

Whittaker and Brian Butler both had good chances well saved inside the first five minutes, and Whittaker could have scored from a Graeme Atkinson corner shortly before the break as City showed the kind of dominance they had often achieved against the league's weaker sides in previous years.

The breakthrough finally came on 65 minutes.

And again it was a set piece that brought the breakthrough.

Brian Butler's effort found the head of Andy Fensome who directed the ball to Whittaker.

The former Bamber Bridge ace made no mistake from close range and City were rarely threatened as they kept control of the match.

Paul Rigby and the ever-enthusiastic Welch both went close to increasing the Dolly Blues' advantage.