Salford City 3 Spennymoor Town 2.

Spennymoor were beaten by the new league leaders as well the elements when they lost 3-2 at Salford .

Moors bounced back well from the Trophy defeat against Bromley, and if the elements had been kinder to them in the second half, then they could have pulled off a shock victory at the Peninsula Stadium after being 2-1 up at one point.

Instead, they were beaten by a second half Salford fightback, but Moors are still nicely in seventh place and inside the play off positions. However, they could greatly improve their position in midweek to fourth if they win at Chorley on Tuesday and at home to Leamington on Thursday.

“The conditions killed us -- how we stayed on the pitch in the second half snowstorm I really don’t know,” said manager Jason Ainsley. “We didn’t have a yellow ball, we couldn’t really see the lines, and we were kicking into the blizzard and the wind. It summed up our luck in a way.

“I thought we played well against a good side. We went a goal down after just 5 minutes and I was a little bit worried that we might collapse, but we fought back well and showed our character once again. We were 2-1 up at one stage, and at the start of the second half missed a chance to make the score 3-1.

“But then there was an horrendous ten minute spell when we were kicking into a snowstorm, and we could hardly get the ball out of our final third, and we lost our rhythm.

“It was a game of ifs and buts as far as we were concerned. We took a team that is top of the league all the way to the wire, we nearly nicked a draw right at the end.

“I thought our fans were brilliant today with their backing, and I feel sorry for them that we didn’t get a point.”

Moors usually start a game well, but they went behind after 4 minutes when Carl Piergianni headed in from a Tom Walker corner, but recent signing Nathan Lowe scored his first goal for Moors with a free kick from out wide that flew over Max Crocombe and into the net.

Salford had a couple of chances while at the other end Glen Taylor fired wide and Rob Ramshaw headed wide for Moors.

Moors kept going and took the lead just after the half hour when Ramshaw split the Salford defence for Ryan Hall to run through and slot past Crocombe.

They nearly made it 3-1 just after the break when Andrew Johnson got away but Crocombe saved his shot well.

Then a fierce blizzard started, and Moors had to grit their teeth. Salford put them under more pressure and levelled on 66 minutes with a shot by Walker that took a deflection on its way past Lowson, and to make matters worse for Moors it was 3-2 nine minutes later when Walker turned home a Piergianni header.

But Moors kept battling away in characteristic fashion, and Ramshaw was denied a point by a flying save from Crocombe.

Moors: Lowson, Dixon, Tait, Curtis, Mason, Henry, Lowe (sub Anderson 64), Hall (sub Foley 84), Ramshaw, Johnson (sub Chantler 71), Taylor.

Subs: Porter, Fewster.