LEADERS 1874 Northwich ground out a scrappy 1-0 win against bottom team Litherland REMYCA with new faces in their side.

Centre back Lee Jackson’s 27th-minute goal proved to be the only difference between sides separated by 41 points on the league table, with 9-0 having been the outcome when the teams last met in November.

It was a scrappy affair at Townfield, after co-managers Wayne Goodison and Paul Bowyer made four changes to the starting line-up from the one which defeated Rylands 2-1 last time out.

Stuart Wellstead and Luke Weir were reintroduced to the team off the bench in the second half, the former 1874 players having been re-signed in midweek.

Wellstead, who left his co-manager position at Rylands in the summer to concentrate on playing again, almost marked his return with a goal but his 90th-minute header skimmed the post.

Weir, back from his football scholarship in America, also got close to 30 minutes important game time.

Callum Gardner and Lee Knight had 1874’s other best chances, but the only one that counted was Jackson’s tap-in from a cut-back by Scott McGowan.

1874 return to action on Tuesday when they host Cheadle Heath Nomads in the Cheshire Senior Cup second round.