LYE Town are getting the chance to recharge their batteries this weekend after chalking up one of their best wins of the season on Tuesday night.

Following another draw at home to Heanor Town on Saturday, which finished 1-1, the team produced the goods taking apart Long Eaton United 4-0 to move up to third in the Midland League.

Manager Martin Thomas, who criticised the performance of the referee in Saturday’s draw, said he doesn’t want to raise expectations.

Speaking about Saturday’s match, he told the News: “We really should have won it, a 1-1 draw wasn’t a fair result.

“We actually finished with nine men. We had two players who got bookings that should never have been. I don’t like to comment about referees but he had a shocker.

“We were one nil up at half time, and it really should have been 3-0, but that was our fault for not taking our chances.

“We put it right on Tuesday night. We had chances and we took them. The lads played really well, but I don’t want to raise expectations.

“We’ve only lost one game this season, but we’ve already drawn more than the entire of last season.

“At the end of the day, we got the win, scored our chances and kept a clean sheet which is all you can ask for as a manager.”

With no game on Saturday, Town’s next match comes in the Worcestershire Senior Urn away at first division side Pershore Town next Tuesday evening (7.45pm).

Thomas added: “We’ve got a team of the walking wounded at the moment, but not having a game at the weekend will do the lads a world of good.

“Kalum (Evitts) is still out and he’s going to be long term, but we’re trying to get him to a specialist.

“We go again against Pershore, and it will be a good opportunity to give some of the lads who have spent a lot of the season on the bench a chance to have some playing time.”

Elsewhere, Tividale's troubles continued with an 8-0 walloping at home to Walsall.

In the West Midlands League Premier Division, struggling Cradley stopped the rot with their first clean sheet of the season in a 0-0 draw with Shifnal on Saturday. They journey to AFC Bridgnorth on Saturday (3pm).

On Tuesday, Black Country Rangers played out a 2-2 draw at AFC Bridgnorth to edge Steve Hinks's side up to seventh in the early standings.