MIDDLEWICH Town put behind them successive defeats when they edged Crewe by the odd goal in seven at the weekend.

They fell behind initially before Dan Lomas’ drive restored parity and then Scott Twite headed in a Harry Short corner to establish a half-time lead.

Jack Gater levelled for Crewe, again from a set-piece, before Twite met another Short’s flag-kick to make it 3-2.

Lomas converted a penalty after James Smith had been fouled, and the Witches had appeals for two more spot-kicks turned down, before Josh Rowley closed a gap between the teams to set up a nervy finish.

Lostock Gralam provided further proof of their improvement when they came from behind to inflict a first defeat on Cheshire League One leaders Broadheath Central.

They trailed to Thomas Carr’s goal at the interval before Charlie Hatton finished smartly to level in the second-half.

And Josh Perry reacted quickly to force a loose ball over the line after a penalty had been saved to secure maximum points for a side managed by Dom Johnson and Dean Jones.

They rise to fourth in the table, and head into a Cheshire FA Amateur Cup encounter with Ellesmere Port Town next weekend buoyed by a 10-match unbeaten run.

Cuddington boss Gareth Harwood said he couldn’t have asked for any more from his players after they slipped to a narrow 1-0 defeat against Cheadle Heath reserves in League Two.

The men from Norley Road were shut out by an opponent for the first time this season as Ben Connelly’s goal separated the two teams.

“It was a game of missed opportunities,” rued Harwood afterwards.

“They had one shot, and scored the winner from it.”

Meanwhile Winnington Avenue 1994 led by the break of their meeting with Cheadle Town’s reserves in the same section after Tom Sneyd converted a penalty.

However the hosts rallied later to run out 2-1 victors thanks to second-half goals from Curtis Huynh and Jake Pogson.

Middlewich reserves prevailed in a Reserves Division Challenge Cup encounter with their Garswood United counterparts thanks to Keelan Darlington’s goal.

Performance of the week

Lostock Gralam

They Grey Lambs’ rise shows no sign of stopping after they became the first team in Cheshire League One to beat Broadheath Central this season.

Charlie Hatton and Josh Perry were on the mark to overturn an interval deficit, sending out a message to Ellesmere Port Town – their opponents in the Cheshire FA Amateur Cup next weekend – that they’re in the mood for more success.

Player of the week

Daniel Lomas (Middlewich Town)

He held his nerve to convert a penalty for the Witches at a delicate moment during their 4-3 victory at Crewe.

It was his second goal of the game, and his fifth in only seven appearances for the first-team this season, and put them out of reach of their opponents.

It was a good week for…

Tom Sneyd (Winnington Avenue 1994)

He has now scored in back-to-back matches after converting from the penalty spot during his side’s narrow 2-1 defeat at Cheadle reserves

Stat of the week

There have been 66 goals scored in 13 Cheshire League fixtures involving Middlewich Town this season – an average of more than five every 90 minutes

Quote of the week

“Luck deserted us, really.

“We were better than them, and we certainly didn’t lose because of a lack of effort.”

Gareth Harwood

Manager, Cuddington