Lancaster city 2 Witton Albion 1

LANCASTER boss Gordon Raynor called on the Blues to "stand up and be counted" before this six-point, relegation showdown at the Giant Axe on Tuesday night (March 11).

With an eye on the transfer deadline of March 31, Raynor is looking to strengthen his side and claims none of the current players have an automatic place.

One player he surely couldn't do without is shaven-headed striker Stuart Diggle, who once again showed true fighting spirit.

For more than an hour this uninspiring bottom of the table slog seemed deadlocked until the tireless Diggle pounced onto a loose ball during a goalmouth scramble.

It was a predatory strike from an accomplished striker and he could do with coaching fellow frontman, Peter Borrowdale, who missed a hatful in the first half.

Two shots went narrowly wide and a third was tipped onto the upright but when the hardworking Peter Craven chipped the ball into the box in the 35th minute, Borrowdale really should have scored from just four yards out.

Former City and Morecambe defender Gary Dullaghan skippered the Witton side but apart from striking the post early on they rarely threatened.

After taking the lead, City pressed forward and good passing across midfield created space for Jimmy Graham who fired in a superb volley from the edge of the box.

The Cheshire side scrambled back into the game when Andy Gayle picked up on a rebound to shoot into the top corner of the net but in the end Lancaster had done just enough to earn the vital three points to ease their relegation worries.

A successful night for the Blues but Raynor is sure to bring new faces to the Giant Axe before the end of the month.

Lancaster: Thornley, Craven, Flannery, Key (Armstrong) Trainor, Lodge, Diggle, Borrowdale, Graham, Stimpson, McNeilis.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.