JOE Tumelty’s last-minute goal saw Malvern Town claim a ninth successive win with a 1-0 victory at Didcot Town.
Tumelty’s deflected strike at the death earned the points for the Hillsiders at the Loop Meadow Stadium.
The win moves Malvern onto 92 points with the Hillsiders second in the Southern League Division One South table with two matches left to play.
Both teams struggled in the opening 10 minutes as a bitter wind and uneven playing surface made for difficult conditions.
Malvern created the game’s first chance when Ryan Brunt controlled Joe Bullock’s cross with his back to goal only for Didcot to crowd out the striker before he could shoot for goal.
The visitors appealed for a penalty following the incident with the referee unmoved.
Lee Hooper’s side continued to press as a flowing passing move saw Tumelty try his luck from distance only for the ball to sail harmlessly wide.
Didcot responded with a chance of their own on the half-hour mark when Jim Glover curled a shot narrowly over the crossbar from the right-hand edge of the penalty area.
A flashpoint arose soon after as Glover hacked down Matt Macdonald and the latter kicked out at the Didcot player in retaliation as the referee brandished yellow cards to both players.
Malvern failed to make the most of the resulting free-kick as Tumelty failed to make proper contact with his effort following a well-worked routine.
Conditions worsened towards the end of the first half as Malvern goalkeeper Josh Bishop struggled for distance with his kicks in strong winds.
The wind caused more difficulty for Bishop after the break when the ball held in the wind and the keeper fumbled an attempted clash over the heads of a mass of players.
However, JP Nyuysemo could not turn home the loose ball as his attempted lob drifted tamely past the post.
Malvern spurned a golden chance to take the lead Dion Molyneux slammed a header against the bar from point-blank range after good work from Levi Francis down the right.
Didcot wasted a couple of chances of their own as Tyger Hall fired over the crossbar when well-placed before Glover blazed a shot over the top.
The chances continued to flow as Tumelty flashed an effort wide while Bradley Hirst forced Bishop into a save at the other end.
However, the Hillsiders snatched the points in the final minute as Charlie Johnson sent a long throw into the box and Tumelty’s deflected effort from the edge of the box found the top corner.
Malvern are next in action against Portishead Town on Saturday, April 18 with kick-off at 3pm at Bristol Road.
