NCEL: Harworth Colliery win again to boost survival hopes

Colliery’s 3-1 home victory over Shirebrook Town, courtesy of goals from Matt Booth, Tom Mullen and Mason Barlow, left them just five points from safety with seven games to play.

The victory also dragged four teams back into the relegation scrap including Armthorpe Welfare, who were without a fixture and dropped to third from bottom, and Ollerton Town.

Shirebrook and Rossington Main are now just six points clear of the bottom two having played two more games than Harworth.

“I’m absolutely delighted with the result which was fully deserved,” said Harworth boss Craig Spink.

“We started on the front foot and continued in the same vein throughout. At times we played some great football.

“It’s always good to get goals but it was a big disappointment conceding as we didn’t deserve that.

“It’s another three points and we are now within touching distance of those around us with a few big weeks remaining.”

Booth put Colliery in front with a towering header from Jordan Hardman’s pinpoint cross after just nine minutes before going off injured just after the half hour mark.

But a minute before the interval the home side had some breathing space when Mullen knocked in the rebound after Chris Lovett’s effort was cleared off the line.

Barlow increased the lead with an audacious chip over Town goalkeeper Levi Owen a minute after the re-start.

Owen’s excellence kept the score down to three and Shirebrook pulled one back in the last minute through Kieran Darby but it proved to be no more than a consolation effort.

Harworth travel to seventh-placed Dronfield Town on Saturday.

Armthorpe entertain bottom side FC Bolsover in a game Mike Carmody’s men can ill afford to lose.