THIS was far from a classic but the Magpies’ fourth out of five in February heaped more pressure on relegation-threatened Lowestoft.

It was a routine home win for rapidly improving Chorley. The Trawlerboys offered little attacking threat and were only still in the game until the ninety-first minute of a scrappy contest because of lack of composure in front of goal by the Magpies’ strikers.

Chorley went in 1-0 up at the interval but it should have been at least three and after a flat second half the home fans in another good crowd of 913 had to wait until added time to cheer the second goal which rubber-stamped the victory.

Leading scorer Jake Reed, with the James Vardy build and a similar approach to the game, presented the visitors’ only serious goal-threat and he was only just denied by the outrushing Sam Ashton in an early raid.

That apart, Chorley dominated the first half and there was an inevitability about the opening goal on 27 minutes. Darren Stephenson’s fierce dipping drive brought an athletic save out of keeper Ben Killip to tip the ball over the bar but from the resulting corner Adam Roscoe stole in to plant a firm header unchallenged into the net.

Then from another corner, Andy Teague’s header clipped the bar.

Stephenson should have doubled Chorley’s lead when teed up by Roscoe’s lay-off but under no pressure he rushed his shot from ten yards and fired wastefully wide. Jordan Connerton too failed to deliver when picked out beyond the far post with a well-flighted free-kick.

Lowestoft raised their game after the break and Ashton had to dash from goal to close down Reed who had broken through down the right. The visitors increasingly forced Chorley back but the home defence stood firm.

On the counter-attack, Connerton miscued his attempt to convert an inviting centre from Stephenson and later at full stretch headed over a blistering cross from Roscoe.

Finally, in the first minute of added time a flowing move down the left enabled Connerton to show fine close control and centre perfectly for Stephenson to score comfortably and give Chorley’s winning margin a more realistic look.