Stafford Rangers' plight deepens as fellow strugglers Frickley Athletic win

The return of former Port Vale midfielder Levi Reid did little to lift the gloom around Marston Road as fellow strugglers Frickley Athletic took the points in this 'must win' basement battle.

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Boro's defeat now means they are 13 points from safety having played more games than those clubs around them in the table and hopes of staying in the Northern League Premier Division are looking slim.

Reid came off the bench 14 minutes from the end for his fourth spell as a Rangers player.

But there was little the 30-year-old midfielder could do to halt Frickley's march towards the points.

Fellow substitutes Jack Lees and Alex Curtis were probably Stafford's star turns when they entered the fray midway through the second half but the damage had already been done.

Rangers could have been in front but missed several early chances.

Jermaine Johnson headed wide at the back post in the first attack of the match and a minute later, James McCarthy got behind the Frickley back line but fired wide.

Fernando Moke fired the first threat on the Rangers goal with a drive that Jon Brain saved at his near post but Rangers still looked the more dangerous and Dan Cope looked certain to score when he was put through by McCarthy, but Ben Simpson's block allowed Steven Gardner to clear the lines.

Rangers were punished when Gavin Allott handed the visitors a 37th-minute lead, pouncing on a slip by home defender Darren Chadwick before lifting the ball over keeper Brain.

Frickley doubled their lead 10 minutes into the second half through Moke and would have added to their tally had it not been for a number of key saves from Brain and Allott blazing a shot over when well-placed to score.

Lees tormented the visitors with a number of runs down the right and one of these saw him pick out McCarthy in the six-yard box only for the striker to lift his shot over the target,

Curtis was equally lively against a tiring Frickley side and the late arrival of Reid brought approval from the Marston Road fans.

But this was a rare moment of cheer as supporters weighed up their side's diminishing chances of avoiding the drop.