Nantwich Town 2 North Ferriby United 1

NANTWICH Town earned three vital points in their battle for Evo-Stik Premier League survival, reversing their recent form to defeat fifth-placed North Ferriby United at Weaver Stadium.

Four points from a possible 39 shows Dabbers were in desperate need of a win and they will be looking to gather more during their trip to mid-table Worksop Town on Wednesday, kick off 7.45pm.

The visitors were the first to show in the match, striker Peter Davidson twice having the chance to score but both times failing to test Nantwich keeper Daniel Platt.

But soon Nantwich were camping at the other end and at half time the visitors had their keeper Steve Wilson to thank for keeping them in the fixture, as efforts from on loan Crewe striker Jason Oswell, Michael Lennon, Glyn Blackhurst, Ashley Carter and Michael Carr were kept out by the busy shot-stopper.

The deadlock was broken in the final moments of the first half, when mounting pressure led to a home corner and Lennon's close range strike fell kindly for the young loanee Oswell to pounce and score his first Nantwich goal.

The second half closely followed the plan set out in the first half, with Town in charge but keeping out the probing chances of Ferriby, with Wilson the busiest of the two keepers.

He kept out Rodney Jack's wonderful strike after the substitute joined the action in the place of Hughes, but could do very little to prevent Oswell from claiming his second of the game, heading home from a corner to seal the win.

Gary Bradshaw did manage to grab one back for the visitors, finding the Nantwich defence napping on 79 minutes to shoot home and apply some pressure to the tiring Dabbers effort.

But Jimmy Quinn's men held on to a well-deserved and vital three points.

NANTWICH: Platt. Sedgemore (c). Adams. Hughes (Jack 71). Reeves. McDonald. Carter (Aspinwall 83). Carr. Oswell (Crane 90). Lennon. Blackhurst. Substitutes: Jack. Whittaker. Aspinwall. Blake. Crane.