Despite putting in one of their best performances of the season, Runcorn Town Reserves lost out in the top of the table clash with FC Pensby with the home side running out 3-1 winners.

Fortune favoured Town after the postponement of the first team, with goalkeeper Karl Wills able to play after all four other goalkeepers on the books were unavailable. Aarron Brown was also drafted in and played up front alongside Dave Jolley.

Town had the better of the openings with Pensby barely able to get out of their half. It was only the woodwork that kept the hosts in it after 12 minutes when a Robbie Darlington free kick beat the keeper but not the bar. Connor Anderson should have put the ball in from the rebound but uncharacteristically blazed it over.

Brown then had a one-on-one chance after Danny Cummins had played him in but hit it straight at the keeper, with Cummins himself hitting the bar from another free kick after 21 minutes.

Pensby never threatened Wills in goal but took the lead in fortuitous circumstances after 24 minutes. A ball was played through with Wills coming out to clear fully 30-yards from goal. His clearance struck Dave Graven on the back, looped in the air and dipped in just under the bar.

If Graven's afternoon wasn't bad enough, he then went off injured on the half hour with what could be possible knee ligament damage. Pensby grabbed a second after 35 minutes with the goal again having a bit of fortune about it. Owen Davies burst his way through the middle with Wills saving well at his feet. He then got to the rebound and squared it for Andrew Davies to score, despite the fact that there was only one defending player ahead of play when the ball was played.

A two goal lead was always going to be tough to come back from, but Town deservedly halved the deficit on 54 minutes through Cummins. Robbie Davies did well on the right and crossed with Brown flicking it onto the back post where Cummins pounced.

With the surface cutting up increasingly as the game went on, the football Town tried to play got more difficult and the openings that they were creating became less frequent. Instead Pensby looked dangerous every time they broke with Owen Davies shooting over from 15 yards when he should have done better.

Pensby killed off the game in the 77th minute through Owen Davies. The home side broke down the left with the ball finsing its way to Davies who scored off the right hand post at the second attempt after his first effort was blocked.

This deflated Town whose only real chance after that was denied once again by the woodwork. Geb Bushell played in a lovely ball from the right which Brown headed goalwards, only to see it come back off the right hand post.

Pensby almost added to their tally late on with two efforts that hit the inside of the bar and rolled along the line, with Owen Davies also seeing his late "goal" disallowed for offside.

Runcorn Town’s home tie against Vauxhall Motors Reserves was called off with the visitors unable to raise a team.