Wivenhoe 0 Ely City 2

Robins joint boss Ben Lawrence said Saturday’s win over Wivenhoe was crucial in their bid to avoid relegation.

A brace from veteran striker Andrew Claydon was enough to give Ely three points against their relegation-threatened opponents and lift them out of the bottom three.

Lawrence said that defeat would have left his side in the mire and praised his players for earning a “much-needed” win.

He said: “I’ve had some difficult choices to make in terms of selection and I’ve gone with a bit of experience, which seems to have worked.

“It was a great win and a good time for Andy to get a couple of goals because it has been difficult for him and everyone else playing up frontthis season.

“We think that only two teams will go down this season but we don’t want to take any risks and I feel like another win and a draw will see us safe.

“We have a full squad available to us for the weekend, which presents a nice problem for Brady and me. It will be one of the first times this season that we have had plenty of options.”

A goal either side of half-time was enough to earn Ely City the points against their lowly opponents on Saturday.

Andrew Claydon spurned a glorious opportunity for Ely when through one-on-one late in the first half, sending his shot wide of the post with the goal at his mercy.

But he atoned for his error with just a minute of the half left to play as he reacted quickest to divert a low cross into the Wivenhoe net.

Ely doubled their lead in the 52nd minute when a cross from the left picked out Claydon who, unmarked and just a few yards from goal, nodded home with ease.

Both teams had the ball in the net in and around the hour mark but both efforts were ruled out for fouls in the build up.

Ely were called upon to defend manfully as the hosts ramped up the pressure in the final 20 minutes and they were able to keep a crucial clean sheet, their first in all competitions since January.

The Robins will be back in action again on Saturday when they welcome Stanway Rovers to the Unwin Ground. Kick off is 3pm.