Tempest praise TEMPEST United chairman Alan Westhead reckoned that his side's game with Dalton United was "one of the best games of football I've seen for many a long while" - and they were beaten 6-2 by the Barrow side.

"We got licked by one of the best teams in the league but we played some really good stuff ourselves."

Andy Benjamin and Alan Shawcross got the Tempest goals but it was a spell of three goals in ten first half minutes which swung the game.

United's Reserves won 5-1 at home to BAC Preston in the Houston Cup Round One with goals from Baxter (2), Ford, Warburton and Gray.

Blackrod Town 2nds went down 2-1 at Whinney Hill, while Colin Fulton scored the consolation goal for Stoneclough Reserves in a 4-1 home defeat by Springfields.

Stoneclough 1st team lost 3-0 at BAE Canbera with manager Peter Morris admitting: "Too many players had on off day. We never looked like getting going." One player to perform to his potential was left back Phil Husband.