WILMSLOW’S winning ways are intact, but only just after this nail-biter at Aspull.

More than one nerve-shredded spectator admitted at the final whistle: "Sometimes, you just have to win ugly."

This was another valuable win for table-toppers Wilmslow, but an equally valuable lesson that nothing can taken for granted – especially when you’ve lost only one league match all season and you’re playing a team fourth from bottom.

Never, in the field of rugby, can one side have spent so much time on the enemy’s line and come away with so little.

With apologies to Britain’s great wartime leader, that was the screaming message from Aspull last week, where the Wolves threw everything at the lads along the East Lancs Road to come away with two points - narrowly.

Wilmslow went behind from a sloppy score after just four minutes. A solo effort from fly-half Bob MacCallum saw him touch down 10 minutes later but Wilmslow leaked another try and, despite another MacCallum penalty, turned around 14-8 down at half-time.

It took 71 minutes of frustrating rugby to draw near with a Rob Cowley try, followed by MacCallum’s match-winning conversion.

The wild wind robbed Aspull of a last gasp win from a penalty 25 metres out and the travelling Wilmslow faithful heaved a giant sigh of relief.

Director of rugby Darren Lucas was relieved but philosophical: "We lived in their 22 for long periods of the game, but just could not score. We played the heavy pitch and the weather quite well, but probably not well enough.

"After half-time we played in fits and starts and weren’t linking our plays together. We will take the win. We dogged it out and that is to our credit."

Much of that credit must go to former Colts hooker Jonny Barltrop, who stepped in to make his first XV starting debut. His hooking was sure and his throwing hampered by a capricious wind, but it was a sound and solid all-round performance. Scrum-half Dan Hargreaves harried and spoiled and lock turned flanker Mike Clifford was tireless again, along with back row heroes Charlie Levings, Ross Mitchell and Rich Williams.

Bob MacCallum’s boot struggled to come to terms with the wind in the first half, but his fearless tackling, place kicking and, of course, a valuable try, more than made up for that.

There was better news from Pownall Park last week, where the second XV Vikings beat Vale of Lune in a cracking, 11-try 45-24 encounter.

The third XV went down 14-7 at Burnage and the Veterans lost 8-7 at Macclesfield to a last-gasp penalty.