St Neots Town maintained their slim hopes of Southern League Premier Division Central survival thanks to a fine away display last Saturday.
A double-strike from recent signing Dan Trendall earned a 2-0 victory at Hitchin Town for Marc Abbott’s side.
Trendall opened his Saints account eight minutes before half-time at Top Field and then struck again six minutes into the second period.
He broke the deadlock when pouncing after a Joe Sutton shot was spilled before being unselfishly picked out by fellow new recruit Ben Bradley to double the lead.
The victory came complete with a clean sheet for rookie goalkeeper Michael McCormack, who was handed a first-team debut with regular number one James Philp unavailable.
McCormack, who has made a handful of appearances for the club’s reserve side, made smart saves in both halves for a Saints side who now sit five points from safety with four games to go.
“The performance and result both made it a really good away day,” said Abbott.
“We had an excellent training session last Thursday and the boys put everything we worked on into practice.
“We were really stretched in terms of numbers, but players, staff and supporters all mucked in to help us get the three points.
“Michael in particular was absolutely outstanding in goal and that was a major factor in our success.
“He was really commanding at only 17 years of age and also made some excellent saves in both halves.”
Saints hit the road again this Saturday when they travel to the Midlands to take on Rushall Olympic, 3pm.
And Abbott is hopeful of another positive performance and result from his side as they take on 10th-placed hosts.
He added: “I’ve seen some footage of Rushall online and it is clear they are an athletic and powerful side.
“That is something we are going to have to deal with, but we will again set ourselves up to be hard to beat just as we did at Hitchin last Saturday.
“We’re in a position where there is very little pressure on us and hopefully that can work in our favour again.”
Striker Gary Wharton left Saints last week to focus on family and work commitments.
Saints take on Godmanchester Rovers tomorrow night (Wednesday) in the Hunts Senior Cup final. They also stage the showpiece clash at the Premier Plus Stadium, 7.45pm.
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