Lancaster City 0 Leek Town 1: Back-to-back league losses for Dolly Blues

Max Woodcock scored the only goal just before the hour mark at Giant Axe to lift last season's NPL West champions out of the bottom three.

Having been unbeaten after nine league games, Lancaster followed their 2-1 defeat at Hebburn Town 10 days earlier with this surprise setback.

Boosted by his two goals in Lancaster's 5-1 defeat of Garstang in the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy last week, Nic Evangelinos headed Sam Bailey's cross from the right wide on six minutes.

Evangelinos then turned provider to set up Dom Lawson, who shot just wide of keeper Dino Visser's goal.

The first close call at the other end came on 20 minutes, when Lucas Weir's free-kick was headed onto the roof of the net by Oliver Harrison.

There were fingertip saves from Visser, denying Evangelinos, and Lancaster's James McClenaghan, who turned Weir's long-range effort over on 33 minutes.

Aaron Bennett's strong run from inside his own half set up the last chance of the first period, the visitors scrambling the ball away.

Lancaster's Jack Byrne saw a second-half effort cleared off the line before the deadlock-breaker on 57 minutes, when Woodcock found the net from close range.

A triple Lancaster substitution followed but the closest they came to an equaliser was when sub Lewis Mansell shot wide after beating Visser to a loose ball.

And the Staffordshire visitors came close to a second when Tyreece Onyeka fired off-target after a mistake by Patrick Allington.

Midfielder Charlie Hall started the game for the Dolly Blues, having extended his loan stay from Accrington Stanley until November 2. This was Hall's seventh appearance since joining at the end of August. Tom Kilifin has joined Northern League One club Kendal Town on a dual-registration deal.

The defeat leaves Lancaster 11th on 15 points. They are back in cup action this Saturday, with a visit to NPL West club Clitheroe in the third qualifying round of the FA Trophy.

Lancaster: McClenaghan, S Bailey, Thompson, Moonan, Beeden, Byrne, C Bailey, Hall, Lawson, Bennett, Evangelinos; Subs: Allington, Sloan, Dagnall, Mansell, Coulton.