FIRST half goals from Clint Hughes and Matt Blakemore gave Lye derby victory at Gornal.

Hughes put Lye in front early on when he acrobatically volleyed home Liam Newell’s cross.

Blakemore doubled the lead when he drove home from outside the area.

Substitute Craig Ball missed a second half penalty for the hosts, who also had Paul Henley sent off late on for a second bookable offence.

Both sides are under new management and both began the season with 4-1 away wins, meaning expectation was high before kick-off.

But while Gornal matched their opponents in the possession stakes, they lacked the organisation and cutting edge which ultimately gave Lye victory.

The visitors were forced to withstand some considerable early pressure from the home side, who earned a number of free-kicks in dangerous positions without ever really testing Tim Beech’s goal.

Lye strike duo Ash Greenaway and Matt Webb then both had shots blocked before their side took the lead in the 14th minute.

Newell was allowed to get to the byline and chip in a cross which Hughes smashed past a helpless James Pemberton in the Gornal goal. It was undoubtedly a super finish, though the home bench were understandably annoyed at the time given to Newell on the flank.

Hughes could have had a second moments later but was denied low down by Pemberton after a lovely move involving Greenaway and Webb.

Lye were suddenly in the ascendency but Gornal came close to levelling as Beech denied Marvin Nisbett at point blank range as the visitors failed to clear a corner.

It proved a crucial moment as Blakemore doubled Lye’s advantage on 31 minutes.

Gornal’s defence could only clear its lines as far as the midfielder, who drilled a low right footed shot past Pemberton from 25 yards out.

Greenaway was then within inches of adding a third as he headed wide from a corner but Beech again came to the visitors' rescue with another point blank save, this time from Jake Morgan on the stroke of half-time.

The second half was poor in comparison to the first period, littered with bookings and some pernickety refereeing.

It suddenly sprang to life on 65 minutes with Gornal awarded a penalty as Keiron Bennett fell to the ground from a corner. But Ball squandered the chance to bring his side back into the game as his right foot blast cannoned back off the bar.

Lye were rarely troubled from that point and Henley rightly saw a second yellow nine minutes from time after diving in on visiting substitute Courtney Shaw.

The latter then blazed over in the closing stages with fellow sub Shawn Salmon also seeing an effort cleared off the line.

GORNAL: Pemberton, Young, Jones (Ball, 57), Morgan (Shaw 80), Waterhouse, Henley, Green (Busby 70), Wherton, Bennett, Nisbett, Meese. Subs not used: Gray, Keates.

LYE: Beech, Dimmock, Gardener, Brown, Newell, Blakemore (Salmon, 73), Bastable, Whitcombe, Greenaway, Webb, Hughes (Shaw, 57). Subs not used: Salmon, Fincher, Foster.

Goals: Hughes 14, Blakemore 31.