NPL round-up | League leaders suffer late defeat, Ian Richards haunts former club and Lancaster snatch dramatic point

Hednesford were beaten 1-0 by neighbours Rushall Olympic at Dales Lane, with Jakub Kruszynski striking the decisive blow in the 89th minute for the hosts.

Rushall held on for all three points as they found the perfect response to a heavy 5-1 defeat at Ilkeston Town on Boxing Day.

Thursday's result also means that Hednesford have picked up just six points from a possible 15 in the league since the start of December.

Gavin Hurren's side remain top of the table by two points, with nearest challengers Hebburn Town not in action this weekend after a frozen pitch saw the postponement of their game against Whitby Town on Saturday. 

Elsewhere, Stockton Town rose to third in the table after a 2-0 win at Morpeth Town.

Goals in either half from Amar Purewal and Jake Petitjean proved enough for the Anchors as they claimed their third straight league win over the festive period.

Photo credit: Harry Cook

Michael Dunwell's side climbed above FC United of Manchester, who suffered a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of their Greater Manchester rivals Ashton United.

Dylan Cogill's close-range finish shortly after the half-hour mark proved enough for the visiting Robins to rise to eighth in the table, leaving them just six points outside of the play-offs.

In the race for the top five, Lancaster City dropped points at basement side Workington but were fortunate to avoid leaving Cumbria empty-handed, after a last-gasp equaliser saw the Dolly Blues rescue a 1-1 draw at Borough Park.

Steven Swinglehurst's header on the stroke of half-time looked to have been enough for the hosts to earn just their fourth league win of the season.

Photo credit: Michael Porter

But with Workington midfielder Brad Carroll shown a straight red card in the final 10 minutes, Lancaster made their man advantage count in the dying seconds as substitute Dom Lawson found a leveller.

Dropped points still allowed Gainsborough Trinity to close the gap to Lancaster and climb to seventh in the table after a 2-0 home win against Cleethorpes Town.

Second-half goals from Frank Mulhern and Javelle Clarke saw the Holy Blues end a run of three league games without victory.

Photo credit: Foxby Media

Warrington Town started the calendar year how they ended the last - with a 1-1 draw, this time at home to Leek Town.

Jay Harris put the Yellows ahead before half-time, but an arrowed shot into the far corner from Ollie Shenton proved enough for Leek to earn a point on the road.

The Blues could've snatched all three as well, substitute Lucas Weir's goal-bound effort blocked on the line by Josh Vela in the final few minutes.

The only other fixture played on New Year's Day came at Bracken Moor, where Guiseley boss Ian Richards enjoyed a successful return to former club Stocksbridge Park Steels.

A brace from former Steels defender Elliot Owen, either side of Luke Rawson's 34th minute equaliser for Stocksbridge, saw the game remain in the balance until the final moments.

But a 3-1 victory was sealed in second-half stoppage time when Archie Christie-Crainie ran the length of the pitch to make sure of the points.

Despite the cold weather on Saturday, Hyde United's game against Ilkeston Town went ahead as the pair played out an entertaining 2-2 draw.

Edy Maieco proved to be the Tigers' saviour on the day, scoring two excellent goals less than 24 hours after he completed a return to the club from Southport.

Ilkeston's goals both came in the first half through L'Varn Brandy and Seth Okyere.

The result leaves both sides in the bottom half and within touching distance of the relegation zone. 

Saturday's other scheduled game between Prescot Cables and Warrington Rylands also fell foul of the conditions. 

Results - Thursday 1 January

• FC United of Manchester 0-1 Ashton United
• Gainsborough Trinity 2-0 Cleethorpes Town
• Morpeth Town 0-2 Stockton Town
• Rushall Olympic 1-0 Hednesford Town
• Stocksbridge Park Steels 1-3 Guiseley
• Warrington Town 1-1 Leek Town
• Workington 1-1 Lancaster City

Results - Saturday 3 January

• Hebburn Town P-P Whitby Town
• Hyde United 2-2 Ilkeston Town
• Prescot Cables P-P Warrington Rylands

Check out the latest fixtures and results from across the NPL East Division, NPL Midlands Division and NPL West Division.