Bucks deservedly win crucial clash at Rushall Olympic

At kick-off the former Northern Premier League rivals were seven points and five places apart in the National League North table, so a six-pointer was in prospect as both these lower-half teams sought to banish any fear of relegation.

For the Bucks, Sam Minihan had joined the already substantial injury list, allowing the return of recent recruit Adam Livingstone, to add left-footed support for Tommy Elliott on that flank, but otherwise they were unchanged.

The pattern of the match was decided as early as a highly dramatic seventh minute. Farmer robbed Connor Brown on the left and was fouled on entering the penalty area, only for Fletcher to have his low spot-kick well saved through a combination of Joe Young and a post.

The 'keeper then immediately set Dylan Mottley-Henry away on the right with an accurate long throw and from his pass, Jak McCourt hoisted a perfect lofted cross behind the centre-backs for Diego De Girolamo to net with a looping header.

That drama sparked an enthralling half of constant action at either end. From a home corner, Clarke, a scorer at Buxton in the earlier meeting, sent a glancing header narrowly wide of goal, while McCourt's low, firm 20-yard free-kick was saved by Weaver at a post as the visitors generally looked the greater threat in attack.

However, from around the 25-minute mark that changed. Young was forced to parry a close-range Farmer shot and Luke Shiels made a vital block to thwart Oseni's follow-up effort, but three minutes later came a seemingly miraculous escape in a six-yard box scramble as desperate, fully-committed Buxton defending thwarted as many as three home attackers.

At the other end, fine Rushall defending protected the goal after Elliott's clever back-heel created a chance.

After half-time, for nearly 20 minutes, the Bucks struggled to put passing moves together and the Pics seemed more likely to score and when Walsall loanee Maher outpaced the otherwise outstanding Shiels on the left, Oseni entirely missed his inviting cross and Young made the catch.

Yet from an unpromising start to the half, the visitors sealed victory with two goals in eight minutes. McCourt and Connor Kirby worked a simple free-kick routine for McCourt to lash a fierce drive off the underside of the bar with Mottley-Henry heading home the rebound from eight yards.

Rushall looked deflated while the Bucks were buoyant and made it 3-0 in the 71st-minute after mounting a penetrative attack on the right. De Girolamo was brought down but rose to send Weaver the wrong way as he confidently netted his penalty-kick.

Livingstone came close to making it 4-0 just five minutes later as he forced Weaver into a tip-over save. To their credit in the last 10 minutes, Rushall sought a consolation goal but were twice thwarted respectively by the impressive duo of Shiels and Young to keep a second consecutive clean sheet.