Barnoldswick Town 1 Squires Gate 3

BARNOLDSWICK Town slipped deeper into the Premier Division relegation mire as they slipped to another home defeat on Tuesday night.

It means they have just nine points from their opening 19 games and need to turn their fortunes around as quickly as possible.

Town had Dean Overson returning to the side after missing five matches and they soon found themselves under pressure.

The Squires Gate forward line of Jack Cook, Jack Sowerby and Harry Dunn used their pace to good effect.

Sowerby forced Chris Taylor into a good save after five minutes and Overson was then called into action to block a goal-bound shot from the same player.

The unmarked Brett Ferguson should have opened the scoring after 21 minutes and managed to blaze the ball yards over Taylor’s crossbar.

There was a let off for Town just before half-time when when Ferguson crossed to the near post where Sowerby rose all alone and hit the bar with a header.

Sowerby forced the Town defence into a hurried clearance early in the second half and they went straight up the other end to take an unlikely lead.

Joel Melia floated a free kick into the six-yard box where Mark Threlfall guided the ball into the bottom corner of Ben Fletcher's net after 54 minutes.

Squires Gate upped their work-rate and Dunn used his pace and guile to bring another good save from Taylor.

It didn’t take the away team long to equalise. Town were stretched at the back and gave away a free kick. Sowerby bent the ball round the Town wall and when keeper Taylor was unable to hold on to the shot after making a good save, Dunn prodded the ball home.

Town replaced Chris Ridehalgh with Matt Cavanagh after 65 minutes, just before Taylor made a magnificent save from a Ferguson shot.

The away team were now pressing for a winner. Cavanagh made a hash of a back pass which Jake McEneaney had to clear for a corner which resulted in Joshua Westwood scoring at the near post in the 70th minute.

Town responded by taking Scott Byrom off in the 71st minutes and replacing him with John Beckwith. Two minutes later Town won a free-kick out wide. From it Threlfall placed a header against the cross bar but there was no-one to pick up the pieces.

The away team still looked dangerous, Taylor saving at the foot the post from a Daniel Penswick header.

Threlfall forced Fletcher into saving at the foot of his right hand post before Squires Gate made the game safe. Dunn put Sowerby in and he made no mistake from the edge of the penalty area.