Pickering Town's promotion hopes were dented as they were beaten in a top-of-the-table clash at home to ten-man Hall Road Rangers.
The Pikes started the game only a point behind Rangers with three games in hand, but the 2-1 defeat has swung the advantage back. The return match in a fortnight will now be even more crucial.
Pikes boss Jimmy Reid said: "We had a lot of play and a lot of chances and missed a penalty. They had a man sent off and eight booked and we dominated the game. It's harsh but it's reality."
Matthew Stead gave Rangers the lead and a Paul Palmer penalty doubled the advantage after the break, the goals sandwiching a missed penalty on the half-hour by Pickering's Joe Connor.
Reid said: "Their man was sent off for handling the ball on the line but we missed the spot kick. We've cut off Joe's left foot so he can't take penalties again."
Simon Sturdy pulled a goal back but, despite the pressure, an equaliser was not forthcoming.
Bottom club Tadcaster Albion won for the first time in the league since October as Kevin Duckworth and Steve Batley scored excellent goals to defeat Winterton Rangers.
Albion have a lot of games in hand on the teams around them because of postponement following the autumn floods, and boss Wayne Day remains confident of picking up enough points to get out of the re-election zone.
"Ironically, we didn't play as well compared to previous games but we had a lot of good individual performances," he said.
Harrogate Railway ended a run of five NCEL premier division games without a win in stunning style against lowly Brodsworth MW, thrashing them 9-1.
Both Liam Gray and a rejuvenated Matty Flynn hit trebles from their respective midfield roles, while strike pair Pete Wrigley and Jamie Forrester got a goal apiece. Ian McLean had started the ball rolling with a free-kick.
Assistant boss Mick Margis said: "It's been on the cards that we were going to beat a team quite comprehensively. As it happens it was against Brodsworth.
"They were a poor side but poor sides have still got to be beaten and sometimes they've got a lot more to fight for."
Brodsworth's meagre reply came via a Paul Humphries penalty - a minor disappointment to the perfectionists at Station View. "We were a bit upset to gave away the penalty as we had wanted to keep a clean sheet," Margis added.
"But it was a nice feeling to go back to the clubhouse afterwards having scored nine."
Goals by Marcus Bramald (2) and Andy Saville gave fourth-placed Goole a 3-0 win over struggling Armthorpe Welfare, while Selby Town made heavy weather of beating lowly Liversedge 3-2 on a quagmire of a pitch.
Steve Matthews and Peter Collier gave the Robins a 2-0 lead and Matthews, aided by a goalkeeping howler, added another immediately after Andy Payne had pulled one back.
Danny McLoughlin's 67th-minute penalty for the hosts was the only goal of the second half, though Selby relied on a goal-line clearance by Nigel Croad.
Harrogate Town's impressive UniBond League division one form continued with a 2-0 win at Eastwood Town.
Craig Elliott scored his tenth goal in 16 matches since his move from Glasshoughton, while left-back Stephen Ball was rewarded for his forays with the second.
Nestl Rowntree's slim hopes of retaining their West Yorkshire League title were boosted as they beat Wetherby Athletic 4-1 while leaders Carlton Athletic dropped their first points of the campaign beaten 3-2 by Horsforth St Margaret's.
Steve Haddon, Matty Wain, Steve Ward and Scott Barley scored for Rowntree's.
Basement club York RI lost by the odd goal in three at Beeston St Anthony's, Ben Coxon on target for RI, while Knaresborough Town shocked fourth-placed Whitkirk by recording only their second win since December, Phil Kitching and Lee Shaw scoring in a 2-1 win.
Pickering Town U19s moved up to second in the Northern U19 Alliance League by thrashing Harrogate Town U19s 5-0.
Danny Farthing scored two stunning free-kicks, Phil O'Reilly notched a penalty and Anthony Moorhouse and James Brown also netted.
Updated: 13:33 Monday, March 12, 2001
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