A NEW year it may be but the same old story is still being played out by Radcliffe Boro - namely a tale of goals, wins and one superb performance after another!

And judging by the queues outside Stainton Park before the bloodless victory over Ashton United on Monday afternoon, local football fans at last appear to be catching on.

Boro came out of the festive period with a 100 per cent record and the only resolution from the players must surely be to change nothing.

The club has managed to maintain its position at the top of the UniBond League First Division in spite of an injury roster longer than any list of unwanted Christmas presents.

But with the treatment table now starting to see the light of day, Boro look set to be one of the leading lights in the end of season shake-up.

Goals from superman midfielder Simon Carden - surely at 21 one of the best players in the UniBond League based on his performances this season - and Ian Lunt steered the home side past an Ashton side also in good form of late.

Boro flew out of the blocks and passed the ball well. "They've got men spare," one Ashton fan was prompted to observe, although his side produced the first meaningful goal attempt with Radcliffe stopper Steve Berryman advancing bravely to produce a superb block in the face of a 14th minute Michael Moore blast.

Paul Mullin shot wide from a good position in the 21st minute but the large Radcliffe crowd had to wait only another five minutes before their heroes went in front.

Thirty-six years old Lunt, the former Altrincham, Witton and Winsford striker, will be the first to admit he is not as fast across the ground as previously. But in creating Boro's opener he showed guile and technique enough to fox a whole forest of Ashton defenders.

His slide-rule pass found Carden on the edge of the box from where the irrepressible one-time Stockport County man fired in a shot which former Boro 'keeper Andy Johnston could only help into his bottom left hand corner. Even the floodlights were switched on immediately after the goal. Happy New Year!

Ashton came into the game more in the latter stages of the half with three efforts off target, a shot which Steve Berryman held by his right hand post and a right wing cross from Moore which clipped the bar and went out for a goal kick. And Ashton were first to threaten after the break when front man Jamie Miller had a shot blocked, but Boro doubled their lead in the 56th minute when Lunt's trickery in the box was too good for the Ashton rearguard and the referee pointed to the spot when he was felled by a clumsy challenge.

Lunt picked himself up and bashed the spot-kick right down the middle, with Johnston helpfully diving out of the way.

Moore put a shot miles over and into a back yard in the 59th minute, prompting a security light to illuminate, almost sympathetically.

Ashton huffed and puffed but as the game wore on it seemed inevitable that they would not score.

Berryman held a Moore shot brilliantly well in the 64th minute and there were three more off-target efforts from the visitors before Boro left wing-back Tony Whealing curled a free kick over the wall in the 71st minute, but unfortunately directly into Johnston's waiting arms.

Ashton's best chance came two minutes from time when a corner created havoc in the Boro box but two Ashton players got in each other's way in the act of shooting and the ball popped tamely up into Berryman's chest, summing up the Ashton experience on the day.

The entire Boro team worked tirelessly for the win and it is clear that manager Kevin Glendon has his troops well motivated for battle.

BORO: Berryman 7, Battersby 7, Whealing 7, Price 7, Parker 7, Dempsey 7, Lunt 7, Carden 7, Mullin 7, EDWARDS 8, Kelly 7.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.