Grantham Town score a late winner to beat Consett in the Northern Premier League

A very late show earned the Gingerbreads all three points to improve their chances of avoiding relegation at the end of the season.

With the strong wind the dominant factor in the home game against Consett, there were only 30 seconds left on the clock when Matthew Doyle headed home a perfectly delivered corner.

It allowed Grantham to move within one point of safety in the Northern Premier League East Division, writes Graham Cowell.

Head coach Louis Bland said: "It felt like a big day.

"A point would have been OK, but three points is magic and we've given ourselves a strong possibility of staying in the division this season.

"We wanted to play against the wind in the first half and I am happy with how that worked out for us.

"I don't think they used the conditions as well as we did and we deserved the win."

Early on, Consett showed that if they got the ball down, they could take it past the Grantham midfield, but they very rarely did that. An early Charlie Watt header fell to Kelb Young but he chose to shoot from distance and fired wide.

Grantham made a good start keeping Consett at bay as both sides struggled to control a bouncing ball in the blustery conditions. Watt delivered a seventh minute cross for Wil Shaw, but he was too high with his effort.

It wasn't all defensive work for the Gingerbreads. In the 10th minute, Sam Hooper crossed for Sisa Tuntulwana but good covering by the visitors’ defence led to a corner for Grantham. Elliott Walker’s flag kick was met by Doyle, but Kelechi Chibueze saved his header well.

The visitors pinned Grantham in their own penalty area with a series of corners that the home side cleared from inside their six-yard box as the ball swung under the Gingerbreads' crossbar.

When Grantham did clear the ball, Harry Olivant and Ryan Rushen teamed up to drive in a low cross but it couldn’t find another striped shirt.

Just after the half hour, Grantham produced a spell of pressure. Again, Rushen and Olivant were at the heart of things.

Twice in a couple of minutes they combined on the right. First Olivant delivered a low cross that just eluded Rushen and then Sam Muggleton got on the end of another cross but couldn't keep his header down.

Rushen, Brad Munns and Rodrigo Goncalves all had chances but failed to trouble Chibueze before the visitors finished the first half with another spell of pressure.

Four consecutive corners in added time were well defended by Grantham and came to nothing for the visitors.

With the conditions in their favour, Grantham started the second half strongly.

A Muggleton long throw in the second minute of the half bounced off Consett’s Benjamin Milburn before Chibueze gratefully grabbed it.

Immediately a Tuntulwana throw from the other side caused as many problems and Olivant saw his shot blocked for a corner that was delivered too high for the Gingerbreads.

Rushen started another move off with a good clearance in the 55th minute. Walker played the ball on for Goncalves who set up Munns, but good covering from the visitors denied Munns.

Consett showed they still had a threat just after the hour as Curtis Hall punched a corner clear, but only as far as Calvin Smith whose cross was cleared off the line by Rushen.

The Gingerbreads had a good spell of pressure as the half wore on but couldn’t get shots on target as Consett defended well.

Walker and Tuntulwana worked a position to deliver a cross with 20 minutes to go, but Rushen got underneath his header and the chance was gone.

The Gingerbreads continued to dominate territory without troubling the visitors. Possession was given up easily and, when Grantham did try their luck, Olivant volleyed over the crossbar.

Hall kept scores level as a late Consett break saw Jack Gibbons get behind the Grantham defence and the goalkeeper came out well to block the effort and gather the ball.

Chances came and went for Grantham as the game moved into added time.

It looked increasingly like a goalless draw when Curtis Morrison rode two challenges in the third minute of added time and crossed for Tuntulwana. The ball wouldn’t drop well enough and his shot flew over the crossbar.

A last-minute corner won the game for Grantham.

Walker delivered into the near post and six yards out Doyle rose perfectly to head past Chibueze to spark celebrations in the Gingerbreads camp.

The Gingerbreads’ match against Liversedge on Tuesday night - which was being played at Ossett - was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Grantham travel to Ashington on Saturday.

Grantham Town Supporters Club Lotto winners: £200 GTFC Player, £10 K White, £5 I Welham, D Howitt, R Jackson, A Saunders, N Johnston, G Ward.