St Ives Town came through one of their stiffest tests yet to retain their position at the top of Southern League Division One (Central) yesterday.

Ricky Marheineke’s pacesetters picked up a third successive victory when seeing off Kings Langley 2-0 at ProEdge Westwood Road.

Scott Sinclair fired Saints ahead with a 17th minute volley in front of a crowd of 264 – more than double the next best attendance in the division yesterday – to strike for the second successive match.

And they sealed victory when returning substitute Ben Seymour-Shove released Jared Cunniff to hit a breakaway clincher with a minute to go.

Boss Ricky Marheineke said: “I’m really happy with the performance we produced to beat a good side.

“It was the toughest test we had of late and everyone proved their worth to help us keep the winning run going.

“We played with positivity, pace and bravery to get ahead and that gave us the lead to hold onto before we got the second goal at the end.

“I can’t recall my goalkeeper having to make a noteworthy save in open play and that highlights how well we defended.”

Saints remain a point clear at the summit. They travel to second-placed AFC Rushden & Diamonds for a top-of-the-table showdown on Tuesday.