Prestwich Heys continued their climb up the Hallmark Security League Division One North table with an ultimately comfortable win over Daisy Hill at Adie Moran Park.

After an unsteady start to the season Heys are now unbeaten in six games across all competitions but they made hard work of this latest victory, their third on the bounce.

At times their play lacked fluency and intensity but in pockets of the game they turned on the style to produce some moments of real quality and it was those that ultimately saw them home.

Heys were quick out of the traps and went close in only the second minute when after Michael Itela had been brought down on the edge of the area, Max White’s free kick went over the bar.

However, it was the visitors who generally looked the sharper and Heys were fortunate to survive a couple of scrambles in their box following corners.

The home side finally began to find some fluidity and had two great chances to open the scoring. Lee Grimshaw should have scored after good work by Danny Vincent and Rio Wilson-Heyes, before White shot over after Itela had rounded the keeper and pulled the ball back across goal.

However, their pressure finally told in the 16th minute. Wilson-Heyes burst into the box and his low cross caused mayhem, with a series of miskicks seeing the ball break on the edge of the area to Jamie Baguley, who made no mistake in rifling a shot into the top corner.

When Grimshaw forced Daisy keeper Craig Haynes to save low shortly after it looked like Heys were in the mood to emulate their 8-0 win in the corresponding fixture last season. However, they never kicked on thereafter. Although largely in control, their play was untidy giving the visitors defence little to worry about.

Indeed, Daisy Hill might have levelled in the 41st minute when only a brilliant save, at full stretch, by Calum Jakovlevs kept out a Jake O’Brien free kick.

The malaise in Heys play was brought sharply into focus a minute later when Daisy Hill did draw level. Mark Ayres sent a back pass to Jakovlevs that eluded the Heys keeper and trickled into the net.

There were raised voices to be heard in the Heys dressing room during the interval and although there was an increase in tempo it was not until the introduction of Justin Pickering and Theodore Kidd off the bench that the intensity came into their play.

Kidd almost made an instant impact as he got in behind the defence before seeing his curling shot beat Haynes only to come off the inside of the post.

However, in the 56th minute Heys restored their lead. A great ball in behind the defence by Jamie Baguley picked out Grimshaw’s run and the Heys striker continued his rich vein of goalscoring form as he lifted the ball over the advancing Haynes into the net.

Just after the hour, Heys gave themselves some breathing space with a third goal. Pickering was the provider with a deep free kick driven to the far post where Mark Ayres and Jake Wood were almost falling over each other before the latter headed back across the keeper into the far corner.

However, as in the first period Heys were again guilty of taking their foot of the pedal. Macauley Farrington went close with a shot as the visitors looked for a way into the game and whilst this was a rare threat there was a feeling Heys till needed a fourth goal to avoid an uncomfortable last quarter.

Danny Vincent got forward to curl a shot wide, but it was not until the last five minutes that Heys seriously threatened again and it took an outstanding save by Haynes in the 85th minute to tip a close-range Wilson-Heyes shot over, after good work by Kidd.

Nonetheless, without ever have been truly convincing, Heys had done enough to win and continue their unbeaten run.

Team: Calum Jakovlevs, Darius Photiou, Danny Vincent, Danny Warburton, Mark Ayres, Jake Wood (Capt), Mike Itela, Jamie Baguley, Lee Grimshaw, Max White, Rio Wilson-Heyes Subs: David Bondo, Carl Fitton (for Baguley 84 mins), Theodore Kidd (for Itela 53 mins), Pickering (for White 53 mins)