SPENNYMOOR moved into the play off positions of the EvoStik First Division North thanks to Andrew Stephenson’s screamer against lowly New Mills.

Moors had plenty of opportunities to make the game safe, and that meant that they had to endure a nervous end to the game, when the Derbyshire side threw caution to the wind.

But nevertheless, Moors have only lost twice in their last 18 matches, and now they’re aiming to stay in the play off places.

Moors boss Jason Ainsley said: “It was a great goal from Stevo, but we couldn’t kill New Mills off. We created a lot of chances, more than in each of the last three or four games, and we could have scored five or six.

“But on the other hand, it could have been 1-1, because they came close late in the game.

“However, we’ve picked up three points, kept a clean sheet and we’ve won three in a row since we lost at Scarborough, when some people thought the world had caved in. We have to make sure that we keep on the shirt tails of the chasing pack.”

It was a quiet start to the game, the best chance of the opening fifteen minutes was when New Mills full back James Moss volleyed across the face of goal from a right wing free kick.

Moors slowly started to create chances. Nathan Fisher fired over from 20 yards, then a poor clearance by Mills keeper Aaron Ashley ran straight to Andrew Stephenson way out on the Moors’ right, but his return chip went wide.

Moors’ best chance was on 20 minutes when Liam Henderson charged down a clearance, beat three defenders on a run into the box, but pulled his left foot shot wide.

Moors had another chance when Stephenson crossed into the box and the ball ran for Fisher six yards out, but keeper Ashley did well to block his shot with his chest.

Moors finally opened the scoring on 40 minutes. Henderson got away down the right and pulled the ball back into the middle where Fisher’s shot was pushed on to the post, and the ball was only cleared out as far as Andrew Stephenson, who hit a powerful low right foot shot into the bottom corner from 25 yards.

Stephenson should have got another at the start of the second half. Henderson again exploited the space down the Moors right and pulled the ball back into the middle, and from ten yards out, Stephenson weakly sidefooted wide.

Lewis Dodds had a piledriver touched over by New Mills keeper Aaron Ashley, and sub Michael Roberts curled a left foot shot just wide. Ashley saved a right foot shot at the foot of the post from Henderson.

But in the last 15 minutes, New Mills nearly levelled with a low shot by Matthew Landregan that Adam McHugh pushed around the post, after Roberts missed another opportunity to seal the points, Landregan was just wide with a free kick in stoppage time.

SPENNYMOOR: McHugh; Griffiths, Mason, Dodds, Johnson, Capper; Stephenson, Henry; Henderson, Fisher (sub Roberts), Peacock (sub McReady). Subs not used: Cogdon, Groves, Ward.