THREE wins inside a week have maintained Whitchurch Alport’s promotion push. 

The solitary-goal win at Atherton was followed by a 3-0 win at Sandbach, and although the Reds rode their luck at times during the 2-1 win at home to AFC Blackpool on Saturday, it still kept them within a point of the summit going into tonight’s (Wednes-day) game at Eccleshall.

In front of a near 200-strong crowd at Yockings, Alport dug deep to grind out a result when several scorelines elsewhere on Saturday went in their favour. 

It left the Reds a point off the top in second place in the table and the club’s director of football Lea Edge is grounded enough to know what’s achievable.

At the same time, the staff are making sure the players’ feet remain firmly on the ground.

“No-one is getting carried away,” said Edge, who joined the Alport backroom staff in August. “We’re going really well at the moment and a great performance at Sandbach on Tuesday in front of our biggest travelling support of the season made for a really memorable evening – and one the fans will remember for a long time.

“Everyone at the club  – managers, coaches, players and committee members – has been blown away with the way the people of our town have got behind the side.

“To see so many people travel for a midweek away game is a huge step forward. 

“The win against AFC Blackpool was important because we rode our luck a little bit, especially with the penalty miss which would have put them 2-1 up.

“But the lads had to dig in because the way Blackpool set up was to defend deep and not give too much away. That’s a clear sign that teams are respecting us because we’re going so well. They know what we’re capable of and will look to stifle us and make it hard for us to break them down.

“Thankfully, a piece of quality from another Mouse (Mike Blundell) free-kick was enough to get us over the line. 

“In terms of the fans again, what can I say? I was hoping for 150 and to get 198 to turn out – with Blackpool bringing only a handful of fans with them – was way above my expectations, and also the club’s.

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