ROSS Speight said Middlewich Town had been clinical to put behind them a midweek defeat by scoring four first-half goals against Congleton Vale on Saturday.

The visitors to Seddon Street improved after the interval, but they had too much to do and the Witches protected their advantage to record a fifth win in the Cheshire League’s top-flight this season.

“When we had our best spell we made it count,” said Speight.

“We should have seen it out from there but Congleton deserve credit for how they worked a way back into the game and they might have made the last 10 minutes very uncomfortable for us.”

Middlewich took the lead when Mark Adamczyk fired in a loose ball diverted into his path from Chris Lunn’s free-kick.

Congleton levelled when Damon Oakes gave goalkeeper Callum Parkinson no chance only for Lunn to put the home team in front again from an angle after taming Jamie Petrie’s cross.

Scott Twite thumped a powerful finish past Vale’s custodian when he met Petrie’s corner and it was 4-1 when Lunn converted a penalty after Twite had been felled at the end of a fine team move.

Oakes then dispatched a spot-kick of his own to reduce his side’s arrears after James Dodd had been brought down.

Town soaked up pressure applied by their opponents after the interval but held on and rise to fourth in the Premier Division table.

Speight added: “It was a good reaction after a disappointing defeat [at Egerton] on Tuesday.

“We also had a high number of players missing due to injury, and again had to rely on the strength in depth we have here now.”

Town host Warrington-based Greenalls Padgate St Oswald’s on Saturday.