TADCASTER Albion kept themselves within touching distance of the upper echelons of the table with a 2-1 win at Trafford.

Fifth-placed in the Northern Premier League north/west division, the Brewers had to come from behind to record a league double over their play-off rivals.

The hosts took the lead through a Darius Palma penalty, but quickfire goals from Alfie Beestin and Donald Chimalilo secured the three points.

Taddy remain level on points with Marske United and have two games in hand over the top three sides in the table.

Tadcaster were without the injured Mitch Pattinson and Stuart Mott while Andy Milne was nursing a strain.

Albion started on the front foot but Trafford had the ball in the net first when, on 10 minutes, a stretching Michael Ingham spilled to Darius Palma, who was adjudged offside.

Beestin’s corner was collected by Jake Day who screwed the ball back from the by-line and Ioan Evans was a whisker away before Trafford cleared the danger.

Chimalilo let fly on the quarter-hour with Matt Cooper tipping the ball over the cross bar and was looking dangerous again on 20 minutes on the end of a Beestin through ball, but the keeper cleared for a corner from which Ioan Evans headed over. Chimalilo tried a bicycle kick, which looked good even though he did not connect.

On 22 minutes, Jack Walters' pinpoint cross was cleared by Cooper and as the half-hour beckoned, Chimalilo slid by Keil O’Brian as he cut into the box but could not penetrate the packed defence. Walters put over another clinical cross but there were no front runners to take advantage,

Taddy were close again on 36 minutes when Alex Wiles ran across the middle of the park and found Beestin on the edge of the box but the shot was inches wide. Lebrun Mbeka was next to try his luck after some exquisite footwork but the fierce shot was spilled by Cooper with nobody else to take advantage of what would have been a simple tap in.

Quite against the run of play, Trafford took the lead with five minutes of normal time remaining before the interval. Following a breakaway down the left, the referee Gavillucci had no hesitation pointing to the penalty spot when a Trafford player went down in the box. Palma coolly sent Ingham the wrong way.

The Brewers came back strongly with a near-perfect corner from Beestin into a crowded six-yard box, Day got a foot to it but there was no power and Cooper was quickly down to send his team in one goal to the good at the break

Tadcaster had had the better of the play in the first 45 but having reached the final third time and time again, had not converted the effort into goals.

The Brewers quickly signalled their intent as play resumed with Adam Porritt blasting over on 50 minutes after a patient build-up. O’Brian was carded for a foul on Chimalilo on a trademark run and from Walters' free kick, Day’s header was close but wide.

Kevin Santos was on for Mbeka on the hour mark and, almost immediately, Tadcaster equalised as Beestin finally got his first goal of the season, collecting the ball on the edge of the box and dispatching a low drive into the corner of the net.

Five minutes later, the Brewers were in front. Jack Walters put a peach of a ball across the face of the goal and there was Chimalilo ready and waiting at the far post to hit home from close range.

It could so easily have been three as Chimalilo lashed the ball goalward but Day could not reach Cooper’s spill before the keeper recovered.

Beestin also had a chance as he chased down a seemingly impossible ball on route to the keeper but was powerless to control it as the Trafford shot stopper blasted the clearance straight at the Taddy midfielder.

The final 15 minutes saw a spirited attempt by the home side to salvage a point with a treble substitution seeing new centre forward, Max Hazeldine, signed during the week from Colne, on for his debut. Paul Quinn reacted by swapping Chimalilo for Will Annan.

Both teams had chances and the Brewers had to thank Walters for a perfectly timed tackle to avoid a one-on-one as the hosts poured forward. At the other end, Day put a defence-splitter across the goal-mouth but there was nobody to take advantage. Annan’s low strike was well taken by Cooper while with two minutes of normal time on the clock, Santos put a curler into the box only for Day to see his header rebound off the cross bar

Palma shot wide with a free kick from 20 yards while Jack Vann blocked a goal bound effort right at the death

It ended with another close victory for Tadcaster, with terrific defending and brilliant midfield pressure from Alfie Beestin, Jake Rose and Alex Wiles playing a vital role in the team’s overall performance.

Tadcaster: Ingham, Porritt, Walters, Vann, Evans, Rose, Mbeka (Santos), Wiles, Day, Beestin, Chimalilo (Annan). Subs not used: Milne, Rhodes, Burn.

Attendance: 224