PHIL Mason's double earned Blues their third straight win.

The in-form front man netted his second brace in seven days as Winsford brushed aside strugglers Glossop, an own goal completing the scoring.

A rare clean sheet - only their third of the campaign - left manager Joe Gibiliru a happy man.

After a first minute shock in which Michael Langley was lucky to recover after failing to clear the ball, Blues settled down to dominate the first half.

As early as the fifth minute Mason put the ball over the bar when perhaps he might have done better and 60 seconds later Les Miranda kicked the turf when he looked certain to score.

Jason Gorton's 30-yard blast whistled past Langley's post but Glossop ventures into the hosts' half were few and far between.

Even so it took a triple save by Langley to deny them when they looked certain to score midway through the opening period.

The visitors' defence gave Blues a helping hand to break the deadlock. A mix-up between full back Kelvin Lugsden and goalkeeper Steffan Fielding saw the defender lob the ball over his stranded keeper and into the net.

Three minutes later Miranda lifted the ball over the static defence and, although Mason's contact was poor, it carried enough weight to find the corner of the net.

Immediately after the break Glossop should have pulled a goal back when Dave Barnes missed the ball and Dave Hodges, faced with just Langley, put his shot wide of the post.

Miranda should have notched up goal number 16 for the season when, with only Fielding to beat, he blasted straight at the grateful custodian.

Glossop showed they hadn't given up the ghost and on the hour Lee Evans' header scraped the bar.

However, the home side continued to press and a smart move between John Bluck and Tony Sayer resulted in a cross that was volleyed into the arms of Fielding.

It mattered little as a minute later another neat move resulted in Mason's shot being handled by a Glossop defender and he stepped up to convert the spot kick and seal the three points.


STAR MAN: John Bluck
BLUES: Langley, Sayer, Duckworth, Barnes (Dears 87), Ridler, Bluck, Owens, Showers, Mason, Miranda (Madin 82), Kennedy (Sheppard 67)
Subs not used: Callaghan, Ennion
Attendance: 128