Fresh blood helps keep Lilywhites' title hopes alive

Skegness Town belatedly reached the half way stage of their season with a comfortable, if not convincing, win at bottom-of- the-table Brigg Town Development.

The seasiders did just enough to see off the lowly Zebras, but they will know there is room for improvement if they are going to retain their Lincolnshire League championship crown.

The fate of the championship trophy is still in their hands after other results went their way, but the Lilywhites have a busy end of season programme to contend with, while their rivals have banked their points.

Manager Nick Chapman is hoping to bolster his squad further.

Will Britton has returned from Boston Town and, against Brigg, contributed with his fourth goal of the season.

He was joined in the squad by Andy Parish, who has returned from Lincoln Moorlands, while Alex Nichols, who left for Sleaford Town, continued his Skegness return by joining the game from the bench.

It is understood that the suspended George Hobbins, also with Boston Town, is the latest player hoping to make a Lilywhites comeback.

Based on Saturday’s display it’s arguable that the two players who would get the nod on the team sheet before all others were Danny Stevens and Arron Scutt.

Centre back Stevens didn’t put a foot wrong all afternoon and went close to adding to the goals tally, while Scutt held the midfield together with an impressive display of hard tackling and passing.

But it was new signing Jamie Coulson who made an early impression.

He fired home his first of the season after just 10 minutes to give the seasiders the lead.

The visitors dominated without applying the finish and squandered a bagful of chances as Brigg hung on.

Callum Lawe provided the two-goal cushion Town’s possession deserved in the 34th minute, his shot from the edge of the penalty area finding the net after keeper Nathan Popple slipped.

A goalmouth melee ensued, but remarkably Popple and his defenders managed to deny Britton, Coulson and Stevens.

The seasiders dominated but failed to find the killer third goal early in the second half, and Brigg leapt onto some poor passing to give themselves hope.

They pulled one back in the 55th minute when Adam McGuire cut in from the right and smashed the ball high into the top far corner from 20 yards.

Britton put paid to Brigg’s hopes in the 81st minute when he stabbed home a loose ball after Popple blocked Coulson’s effort on the line.

And Coulson’s cool finish in the 88th minute wrapped things up.

A relieved Chapman said after the match that he was delighted to have secured the victory, especially as title rivals Ruston Sports and Grimsby Borough Academy were dropping points.

“It beats having to scrape around for a team on a Saturday morning,” he said of his new arrivals.

“It gives me a chance to rotate the squad and keep things fresh in the run in.”

TOWN: Portas, Warren, Draper, Stevens, Cunliffe, Scutt, Potts, Lawe, Britton, Coulson, Turner, Nichols, Parish, Fulton.