ST Helens Town won their third successive game with a thoroughly deserved 2-1 victory at high-flying Cheadle Town on Saturday, a win which lifts them into eighth place in the NW Counties First Division table.

With games in hand on Cheadle, Stockport Town and leaders Barnton, further wins will see them enter the play-off positions and secure a place in next season's FA Cup qualifying rounds.

On a blustery day, which threw every kind of weather at the teams, St. Helens adapted better to the heavy pitch and they went ahead in the fourth minute from a corner kick, captain Andy Gillespie reacting fastest of all to beat home keeper Tom Elford and several defenders to the ball to net his 20th goal of the season.

The home side roared back and the ever-dangerous Chris Sherrington went close twice in quick succession, firstly hitting the bar, then crashing a shot into the side netting.

The visitors were stretched at the back for long periods of the first half, but these days the Town defence is much improved and work together like a real unit and were able to deal with all that Cheadle could throw at them, before launching counter-attacks of their own.

One player called upon at both ends of the field was Aaron Morris, who was resolute in defence throughout, along with Hamish Falconer, Adam Lawrence, Ant Whelan and Ste Rigby, whilst Andy Gillespie led the line up front, ably supported by Connor Murphy and Sam Sheen.

Town should have doubled their lead on the half-hour when Michael Sacks was forced into an error on the corner of his penalty area, surrendering possession to Sheen, but the St Helens midfielder had to bend his shot quickly round another defender and was narrowly wide of the post with his effort.

At the other end of the field, James Horan had the chance to equalise, but good defending caused him to place his shot just to the left of Matt Hodge's post.

The home side did draw level, however, four minutes from the break, the irrepressible Sherrington getting a deserved goal after several other players had had their efforts blocked and the teams departed for the tunnel level at a goal apiece.

Connor Murphy, injured towards the end of the first half, was replaced by George Lomax and the second half belonged to the young striker.

As the weather deteriorated, he took the game by the scruff of the neck and the Cheadle defence had no answer to his barnstorming breaks. He set up chances for Gillespie and Morris, then carved out a goal for Danny Greene, which was disallowed for offside, which decision looked a little harsh.

On the hour mark, Gillespie put Lomax through from the half-way line and the young forward beat two defenders, then keeper Elford, to score what turned out to be the winning goal.

Remarkably, he had three further chances to wrap up the points: first, he beat two defenders, but pulled his shot wide; second, with apparently plenty of time, he picked his spot, only for a defender to pull off a last-ditch save at the post, then finally, rather than shooting, he elected to pass to Sheen, who dummied to Rigby, who fired wide, with the goal at his mercy. He will learn from this experience and he looks a real find. With new-found confidence in defence and up front, Town will surely go from strength to strength. Three wins from three away wins in January is a good return by anyone's standards and just the start to the year that joint managers Alan Gillespie and Nick Matthews were looking for.

Town had to survive a last minute scare when a second Cheadle equaliser was disallowed following a heavy challenge on Hodge as his opposite number's free kick from his own half ended up in the back of the Town net, but the home side were hardly in the game in the second period and Town could and perhaps should have been two or three goals to the good at the end of this contest.

Next up is a home game with Bacup Borough at Brocstedes Park on Saturday. The West View outfit were relegated along with Town at the end of last season and sit right on Town's heels in ninth place.

The sides have yet to meet this term, with the reverse fixture due on 20 February.