GERRY Luczka’s men suffered a disappointing reverse on Saturday, two days after an impressive 2-1 win over his old club Leigh Genesis.

Goals from Eddie Stanford and Steve Howson’s last-gasp winner were enough to give Boro a win over Leigh at Chorley’s Victory Park on Thursday and provide renewed hope of a late-season charge by the Stainton Park men.

But their erratic form came back to haunt them as Howson then conceded the penalty that ultimately cost them the game at Ashton United’s Hurst Cross home ground, Mossley’s temporary home.

With both sides playing their third game in five days, pre-match concerns that fatigue would have an impact on proceedings turned out to be correct, especially in an opening period that was high on errors but low on goalscoring opportunities.

Only twice in the first half did the deadlock ever look like being broken and the two chances fell within the space of 60 seconds.

Boro's Gary Sampson fired a powerful long-range effort just wide of the angle of post and crossbar while at the opposite end, Andy Russell looped a header onto the roof of the net from a free kick.

The Lilywhites should have taken the lead immediately after the interval when Ben Richardson embarked on a surging run which started deep in his own half and ended in Radcliffe’s box following a neat one-two with Michael Fish.

But the finish did not match the quality of the build-up and his shot flew high and wide of the target.

As time slowly wore on it looked increasingly likely that the game would end in a stalemate. However, with 20 minutes left, a needless challenge by Howson gave the Lilywhites the chance to take the lead from the penalty spot.

Matty Kay, who had been on the receiving end of Howson’s illegal tackle, converted his 26th goal of the campaign.

Radcliffe offered little response and it allowed Mossley to see out the game in relative comfort.

They would have had registered a more convincing victory deep in injury time but for a superb double save from Lloyd Rigby which denied substitutes Steve Moore and Nathan Neequaye.