MALVERN Town dug deep to bounce back to winning ways in the league with a 2-0 victory over Cradley Town.
After last Tuesday night’s crushing 4-1 home defeat to Dudley Town, the Hillsiders got back on track in the West Midlands Premier on Saturday, thanks to goals from Harry Clark and Ben Lane.
Following a goalless first 45 minutes, it took until the 70th minute for Malvern to break the deadlock in the Black Country, with Clark on hand to head home from Steve Webb’s free-kick.
The visitors then secured all three points in the 84th minute when Ben Lane nodded in from Adam Sauntson’s pin-point delivery.
Malvern’s joint-boss Dene Whittal-Williams believed patience was key to getting the victory which moved them up to fourth in the league standings.
“Cradley is always a tough place to come,” he said.
“They always dig deep and having beaten us recently, we knew it would be a real test for us.
“We had to work hard and stay patient to finally get the breakthrough and in the end we were worthy winners.
“I was pleased with the way in which the lads bounced back from the disappointment of our last game – they rolled their sleeves up and put the effort in, which is exactly what we asked for.
“We did the basics well and then our quality began to shine through to allow us to secure the three points and a clean sheet.”
Malvern make the trip to higher-ranked Highgate United on Wednesday night in the Worcestershire Senior Urn.
Whittal-Williams added: “We want to do well in every competition which we enter and this will be a good marker for us against a side from a higher level.”
After the county cup clash, Malvern return to league action on Saturday with a home game against high-flying Haughmond.