MIKE Blundell’s second-half penalty was enough to give Whitchurch Alport a sixth successive win away from home to keep the Reds among the front runners of the North West Counties League Division One. 

The 1-0 win at Atherton LR repaired some of the damage from the midweek game at home to Widnes, when the away side put on a superb display which resulted in a resounding 5-2 defeat for Whitchurch.

But the trip to Greater Manchester showed the battling qualities of the side, on a very difficult surface, which was more befitting of a “Dog and Duck” outfit rather than a team plying their trade at Step 6.  

And joint manager Luke Goddard knew his team were going to be in for a stern test in Greater Manchester – despite the home side’s lowly position in the table. 

Goddard sat out the game through injury but gave a very honest appraisal of what he’d had to endure from the sidelines.

“Today’s game was always going to be a huge test of our character,” said the Reds chief. “We’ve been convincingly beaten at home on Tuesday night against a very good side despite being on a terrific run of form leading into that match. 

“We’re then faced with an away game that people now expect us to win after the strong start we’ve made, but – and I know this is a cliché - there is no easy game in this division. 

“No-one has been to Atherton and won by a big scoreline even though they’re at the opposite end of the table to us.

"They’re a physical side and with the pitch being one of the poorest we’ll play on all season, the game was always going to be a battle of mental strength, as well as physical, and we’ve come through it.

“Watching the game today from the stands gave me a good chance to assess what we were like. We lacked any kind of tempo in the first half, and although we created the odd half-chance and probably edged possession, there was no bite in our play, on and off the ball. 

“However, we defended OK going up the hill in the first half and that gave us a foundation to really push on and win the game after the break.

"Changes were needed to give us that spark and it was pleasing to have such a strong bench where we could introduce some very good players into the game that could change the game."

*For a full Alport round-up, see this week's Whitchurch Herald.