ROYSTON Town completed their final away league fixture of the season and their penultimate game overall as Paul Attfield s side secured fourth place in their first season back in the Premier Division with a 3-1 win at Oxhey Jets on Wednesday night. Pro

ROYSTON Town completed their final away league fixture of the season and their penultimate game overall as Paul Attfield's side secured fourth place in their first season back in the Premier Division with a 3-1 win at Oxhey Jets on Wednesday night.

Providing they take more points than Tring Athletic in Saturday's final home game against Chalfont St Peter, the Crows will gatecrash third place which would be an unbelievable achievement.

The first half of this game was best forgotten as the contest lacked any momentum or quality with many mistakes made and possession of the ball given up too easily.

The hosts probably had a valid excuse having played two games in the previous four days but more was expected from the Royston team as they looked uncharacteristically disjointed throughout the half.

Oxhey put the best moves of the half together but failed to create clear openings. The closest they came was from a well worked move down the left that created a half chance for a forward who drove a volley high over the crossbar and just before half time Jorden Gibson did superbly well to tip over a speculative 25-yard effort at full stretch.

Royston surprisingly failed to trouble the home goal at all from open play and the closest they came was also just before half time when a deep free kick from Lewis Endacott was drilled over the crossbar by Russell Bull from 16 yards.

Unsurprisingly Royston appeared with a better all-round attitude in the second half and the game certainly had a better pace to it.

Oxhey had the first opening when a short free kick routine caught the visitors off guard and another long range effort hit the corner of post and crossbar before landing safe.

Royston were keeping the ball better and scored their opener on 58 minutes from their first real chance of the match.

Ashley Grinham did well to pull Lewis Endacott's deep cross back from the by line and Russell Bull converted from six yards.

Almost immediately Oxhey were back on level terms when Nick Mulvaney slipped onto the ball with his arm unintentionally making connection with the ball but referee Sage awarded a penalty that was converted by Lee Grace.

Attfield altered the shape of his team and introduced Jan Stephens , Scott Crosk and Ryan Lockett which helped his side grasp control for the remainder of the half.

With the visitors looking threatening, they effectively won the game in the 82nd minute when a sweet cross field pass from Lockett found Crosk on the left who beat the full back before crossing for Bull to volley at the far post via the keeper's head and crossbar.

The game was wrapped up two minutes later when Lockett's corner was directly headed into the net by Nick Mulvaney.

Further chances fell to Bull and Tom Malins who narrowly missed the target and Gibson had to make two more superb saves to keep the two goal margin of victory intact.

The win secured Royston's fourteenth win in their last seventeen matches and sees them pass both the 80-point mark and 150 goals this season.

Team - Gibson Endacott (Lockett) Grinham (Stephens) Mulvaney McElvoy Collins Edwards Cain (Crosk) Bull Young Malins