Report: Chasetown 2 Carlton Town 0

They are just ahead of Leek on goal difference. In a one-sided first half, the home side took a 15th-minute lead.

George Washbourne advanced unchallenged and drilled a low shot past the diving Jack Steggles into the bottom left-hand corner.

In a bizarre incident, Carlton briefly thought they had been reduced to 10 men as referee M Pearson showed a red card to defender Jacob Sturgess, quickly realising his error to produce yellow instead.

Just after the half-hour, Paul Sullivan set up Nick Turton and he drove goalwards, forcing Steggles into a top save high to his right.

Chasetown doubled their lead five minutes before the interval. Sullivan chipped a cross to James Dance who netted from close range.

Simon Brown was a whisker away from a third goal in the closing stages of the half but Steggles raced out bravely at the midfielder's feet to deny him.

The visitors had created virtually nothing, leaving stand-in goalkeeper Curtis Pond – deputising for the injured John Bateman – largely untroubled by this point.

In fact, it took them until the 65th minute to register their first serious shot, Romaine Graham going close with a near-post flick.

But he was denied by a strong hand from Pond, who was making his first league appearance of the campaign so far.

Chasetown created fewer chances after the interval with Rhys Thompson from a free-kick and Stan Mugisha forcing fairly routine stops from Steggles.

Five minutes from time, Dan Gordon tried his luck from long range and Pond stretched out a left hand to palm the ball away from the goal and secure his first clean sheet for Chasetown in a league game.

With Leek winning 4-1, the Staffordshire rivals are separated by one goal in the race for fifth, with Leek having two games in hand.