CLEVEDON TOWN U18 3 ASHTON UTD 2

NOT a lot was given away when the two top-of-the-table sides met at The Hand Stadium.

Town came out as early front runners, with Ben Morgan and Rob Harroway forcing saves from Ashton's keeper during the early exchanges.

Clevedon got their reward on the half-hour when the ball fell for Tommy Miklins in the area and he pulled it back for the waiting Rob Harroway, who hit the target from close range.

Ashton replied four minutes later and the match was end-to-end after half-time before Ashton caught Town on the break to take a 2-1 lead.

Clevedon found the net for the second time when Ben Ricketts hit a 30-yard shot over Ashton's keeper and the game could have gone either way but Town had the last say when Charles Conway put a ball into the path of Harroway for the winner.

Town manager Ricky Adams said: "It was a good game to watch, they are a good team and to be fair a draw would have been the right result.

"We were forced to dig in and at times were lucky to get out of jail when they caught us on the break."

Town travel to Merthyr Tydfil in the Southern League Youth Cup on Wednesday, before hosting Portishead on March 25.