Chorley 0 Bradford Park Avenue 2

Avenue maintained their challenge in UniBond Division One with a third straight victory and a second clean sheet on the trot as they came away from Chorley with all three points.

It was not their best performance of the season by a long chalk but it gives them another shot in the arm ahead of tonight's clash with Gresley Rovers at Horsfall Stadium.

The only downside then is that midfielder Andy Shuttleworth will be out of the squad.

He was forced off in the 43rd minute at Chorley with a serious-looking injury and is unlikely to feature for a while.

However, his removal brought Tom Greaves into the fray and he netted Avenue's opener minutes later.

Avenue had begun well with David Cooke forcing a save from the home keeper as early as the fifth minute.

But it went downhill from there for the visitors and they had to show their defensive qualities.

Even then they were fortunate not to go behind as Chorley piled the pressure on. The home side hit a post and Avenue keeper Piotr Skiba made at least two outstanding saves on top of his regular duties.

When Avenue took the lead, literally seconds before the break, it was definitely against the run of play.

Striker Neil Ross had chased a ball down on the right flank and his cross was converted by Greaves.

The visitors were better in the second half but Chorley still had their share of possession and moments that lifted the home support.

Even after Avenue had scored their second it remained a nervous victory rather than an emphatic one.

Just after the hour, Liam Flynn made a break down the left wing and provided a centre that picked out Ross.

He only side-footed the ball but there was more than enough power on it as it hit a defender and the underside of the bar before nestling in the back of the net.

"We make things hard for ourselves at times," said drained Avenue boss Phil Sharpe after the victory.

"We have got some excellent footballers at the club but they like to put me and Clive (assistant boss Freeman) through the ringer if they can.

"We have taken three points from the fixture - that is as much as can be said about a game like that.

"We have given possession away far too easily and allowed them to regain a foothold in the match.

"I have to say it was a total injustice when we scored. We didn't deserve it one bit at that point.

"But I have spoken to the lads and Clive after the game and we all know that it has happened to us this season and probably will again.

"You can't dwell on it. You have to offer your apologies to the other management team and carry on with it.

"The only disappointment is that Eastwood Town won again so we are still only joint top.

"We are matching the others though and we have got to do that tonight against Gresley to maintain the pressure on our rivals.

"If we do the same thing and pick up points by grinding a result out rather than having a 5-0 win then we will all be happy.

"The main thing is keeping with the other pacesetters.

"If we do that, we can then try to up the odds by taking points here and there where we shouldn't or aren't expected to.

"We seem to have a habit of playing poorly but winning - we have to keep that on our side."