Lancaster City 3 Colwyn Bay 0 MANAGER Tony Hesketh is hoping to unveil a superb signing for the club before Saturday's home match against Droylsden.

Yesterday Paul Sparrow, 24, - a utility defender at Preston North End - had agreed to drive up and sign registration forms at City today (Thursday).

Sparrow - a cockney - was signed for £30,000 by PNE from Crystal Palace a few years ago. He trains full time at PNE and can play in any back four position.

If Hesketh is successful in finalising the deal tonight (Thursday) City will have another new defender for his team which has now not conceded a goal for 578 minutes - easily a club record.

Also on the transfer front it was finally reported this week that City paid £2,000 for striker Neil Morton from Morecambe.

This win meant that City are third in the league with 15 points and are unbeaten in six games.

If there's any truth in the old cliche that it's the sign of a good team when they win without playing especially well manager Hesketh will be well pleased - especially considering they won by three clear goals.

The first came after just five minutes when teenage revelation Chris Ward glanced home a John Kennedy cross. The 261 crowd (last year City only attracted 150 for this match) had to wait 66 nervous minutes for the second. Paul Haddow - who later cleared the ball off his goal line five minutes into injury time with an overhead kick - scored from another excellent Jimmy Graham cross from a corner.

The third came with seven minutes remaining. Colwyn Bay's Gary McCosh inexplicably headed a Scott Sugden across back into his own goalmouth. Kevin Barnes gratefully accepted the gift and knocked the ball home.

Team: Thornley, Kilbane, Graham, Udall, Horner, Mayers (Sugden 63), Trainor, Haddow, Morton, Ward (Barnes 63), Kennedy (Crompton 63).

Att 261.

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