Joy at last for Milnthorpe Corinthians as they win but Ambleside cannot break losing run (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Joy at last for Milnthorpe Corinthians as they win but Ambleside cannot break losing run

1:04pm Wednesday 20th March 2013 in Sport By Scott Kirk, Reporter

MILNTHORPE Corinthians picked up their third win of the season with a well-deserved home victory over Croston Sports on Saturday in Division Two of the West Lancashire Football League.

The league's basement club fielded a side containing just three players over the age of 20, and the young side nearly went behind when Croston’s Alty beat Milnthorpe’s Adam Hornby in goal, but his effort went the wrong side of the upright and the deadlock remained unbroken.

But that proved to be a catalyst for Corinthians to get into the game and they should have been 2-0 up going into the half time break, with Steve Creed hitting the bar and Liam Cowley striking the upright with a neat shot just inside the box.

Milnthorpe continued to press after the interval and Cowley hit the post again quarter of an hour into the second half, leaving Corinthians to think it may not be their day once again.

But with 20 minutes left all the Corinthians pressure paid off when Jason Dixon latched onto a through ball from Kyle Gudgeon to rifle his shot past a despairing Stephenson in the Croston goal to make it 1-0.

Hornby produced a smart save at the feet of Welch as Milnthorpe held on for a well-deserved victory.

The scoreline failed to reflect the nature of Ambleside United’s 3-1 defeat at Mill Hill St Peters in Division One.

The game started at a mile a minute when the home side scored in the fourth minute through Michael Jackson after the defence failed to clear the ball.

But two minutes later Ambleside equalised when Lloyd Trippet’s cross was turned beyond the keeper by Jake Routledge.

The game was only 10 minutes old when the third goal went in courtesy of a free header by Jackson after a free kick was conceded.

United proceeded to dominate the rest of the game, with Matt Parkinson hitting the bar, Ryan Close narrowly missing an effort, and Ollie Mittieson going close with a long-range effort, but they were unable to find a second equaliser.

And Mill Hill St Peters made Ambleside pay when Mark Scholey rifled in the third goal from distance with 10 minutes remaining as United were forced to suffer another defeat.