Drayton nearly pay for their profligacy

Instead, it was the half-time scoreline of 2-1 that still stood at the end and, ironically, Town who finished down to 10, playing out the closing nine minutes a man short after having Lyndon Campbell red carded.

Drayton’s knack of making light of their most difficult tasks and heavy weather of the easy ones was highlighted in arguably their best front-running spell of the season.

United goalkeeper Terry Smith was bombarded from all angles as Drayton overran the Evo-Stik NPL West backmarkers, whose rearguard had already conceded 40 goals in 16 games.

Three times in the first half he bravely denied a clean-through Charlie Knowles alone.

Dan Beddows’ flying header plus shots from Glyn Coney, Judd Ellis and Desean Martin added to his troubles and just for good measure Town also managed to hit both post and bar.

When they did score however, it was a stunner, the ball curled hard, fast and high across Smith and into the far corner from the left by Knowles after a good 21st minute build up down the opposite flank led by Glyn Coney.

Two minutes later, Skelmersdale snatched an equally impressive equaliser, William Dunne finishing off a smart four-man move that probably stirred hope in their new boss that he might have some players to work with after all.

But Town were soon running riot again with Smith saving from Coney before he and Martin combined to set up Ellis for what was to be the 26th minute decider.

Town managed to hit the bar again after the break and Smith won further plaudits with more good saves – but the main talking point was Campbell’s dismissal on 81 minutes.

Harshly yellow carded earlier for reacting to an outrageous tackle, he needlessly got involved in a silly general skirmish triggered when Martin and Dunne began a wrestling match – and was the biggest loser when all three were booked.

Drayton might have paid for it too as United managed to create a half chance of sorts that Declan Daniels slid from David Moore’s cross.

Dropping two points at that stage would have been a travesty but the very prospect prompted Town boss Martyn Davies to again call for better finishing from his front men.

“They’re doing well to create chances but we’ve really got to start taking more of them,” he said.

“No-one could say we didn’t deserve to take the points for we should have had the game won several times over in the first half alone.

“Yet for all that good work, we finished up playing the last 10 minutes or so with 10 men and only a goal in it.

“They didn’t really look like getting anything out of it but I would have been far happier with a those early chances converted into goals.”