Chorley 1, Tamworth 0: ​Carlton Ubaezuonu hits the winner as the Magpies down league leaders

It was breathtaking, nerve-jangling stuff but somehow the Magpies repelled everything the runaway league leaders could throw at them to stretch their winning-streak at home to five games and climb into third in the National League North.

In the process, they ended Tamworth’s impressive 13-games’ unbeaten run and Carlton Ubaezuonu’s winning goal was the first conceded by the Lambs 10 matches – or 910 minutes’ play.

It’s fair to say that the Magpies rode their luck at times. In one three-minutes’ spell shortly before half-time, when the visitors forced four corners, twice hit the goal-frame and saw Max Dearnley pull off a stunning reflex save, there was no logical reason why Tamworth did not score. Man-of-the-match Dearnley was inspired, simply magnificent.

He commanded his six-yards’ box confidently and decisively, repeatedly plucking dangerous crosses out of the air and pulling off last-ditch saves. One such from a searing low cross-shot from Callum Cockerill-Mollett was absolutely top-drawer.

All this after Chorley had grabbed a twelfth-minute lead. Justin Johnson embarked on one of his trademark dashes down the left and cut inside to deliver a low drive which keeper Jasbir Singh could only palm aside, leaving the lurking Ubaezuonu a simple tap-in, for what is fast becoming his routine goal.

It could have been two-nil just before the half-hour when Johnson again made rapid progress down the left and rattled the bar with a blistering shot.

Desperately unlucky – but had he squared the ball across the box, the unmarked Ubaezuonu would have had another easy goal.

Having survived the leaders’ barrage before the break, Chorley began the second half with an early chance to double the lead, Jack Sampson’s firmly-struck low drive bringing the best out of Singh.

But the story of the half was Tamworth’s frantic attempts to salvage at least a point from this dour slog in the mud. Liam Dolman hit the home bar, Dearnley plunging to save in a crowded goalmouth, and he later distinguished himself yet again with a smart stop from Kyle Finn.

As he said afterwards: ‘I just felt it was one of those nights when I wasn’t going to be beaten – and you’ve just got to enjoy them!’

The Magpies proceeded to successfully run down the clock and this hugely-valuable victory was loudly acclaimed by the home fans at the final whistle.

CHORLEY : Dearnley, Sonawa, Smith, Wilson, Blakeman, Calveley, Maguire, Horbury (Glynn,64), Ubaezuonu (Ellis,85), Sampson, Johnson (Hazlehurst, 70).

Unused subs. Shenton, Henley.

Att. 655.