RADCLIFFE Borough produced their best performance of the season so far to frustrate the league leaders and halt a run of six successive league defeats.

They were unlucky to fall behind on 31 minutes to Lincoln Adams’ close-range strike, but Steve Howson fired them back into contention on 66 minutes with a brilliant piece of opportunism.

He rose with the Town keeper Jon Kennedy to meet Owen Roberts’ left-wing cross. Kennedy failed to hold on to the ball and appeared to be waiting for the referee’s whistle while Howson lobbed the loose ball into the empty net.

Howson could have wrapped up all three points with a superb 25-yard chip 11 minutes from time, but his effort came back off the inside of Kennedy’s post and across the face of the goal to safety.

Kyle Wilson’s 85th-minute winner sealed a 1-0 victory for FC United against struggling Boston United at York Street in the only game in the UniBond Premier League which survived the frost.

The division’s top scorer’s 24th goal of the season helped the 11th-placed Rebels move to within four points of the play-off places.