Manager Jimmy Marshall hailed a “fantastic” display at Ashton United which kept his Lancaster City side top of the Northern Premier League.

Character and goals take Lancaster to the top

Saturday's 3-1 victory in Ashton-under-Lyne was their fifth successive league win, and the seventh in an eight-game unbeaten run.

Goals by man of the match Dom Lawson and Joe Amison made it 2-0 at half-time, then captain Sam Bailey added a penalty to leave Lancaster two points clear of second-placed Hednesford Town.

Jimmy Marshall said man of the match Dom Lawson “led the line really well” with Nico Evangelinos at Ashton Photo: MICHAEL PORTER PHOTOGRAPHY

Marshall was relieved to complete the match in Greater Manchester as a deluge of rain around the region affected many matches. “I thought the ref was going to call it off before the game but the pitch held up really well,” he told the club's media team.

“The rain was incessant but I thought we were brilliant. I said we just need to play to our strengths, keep the ball moving, make good runs and try to get in behind. It was a really energetic performance.”

Marshall made four changes to the team which beat Ilkeston Town by the same score, all but one enforced. He explained: “We brought in Jim Craig because he'd been doing well off the bench and that's what the squad is all about. We are not taking anyone out of the team because they are playing badly – they are all capable of doing a job.”

This was the season’s first home defeat for an Ashton side fresh from beating National League North club Scarborough Athletic in the FA Cup and Marshall added: “I was disappointed to concede but we knew they would throw the kitchen sink at us, and it almost made it harder when they went down to 10 second half (when Ben Horne saw red).

“We've been in the wars and had to push bodies to the limit but we work hard for each other. We aren't the finished article but the players and staff are all working really hard and it's a good place to be.”

Lancaster have been drawn away to fellow NPL club Prescot Cables in the FA Trophy's third qualifying round on October 4, but first they welcome mid-table Guiseley to the Giant Axe this Saturday and could recall loanee Bobby Bjork, who was ineligible to face parent club Ashton

“No-one will want to play us because we keep chalking them off,” said Marshall, who warned: “A bad run will come and it's about recovery from that and going again. Anybody can beat anybody on their day in this league but I can't praise the players and staff enough.”