A SECOND-half penalty save from Dan Thorpe kept Crossflatts Village’s treble hopes alive on Thursday night after a narrow 1-0 away victory at Westwood Park.

Thorpe’s second-half stop was one of many telling saves from the goalkeeper as midfielder Craig Morris’s strike proved enough for a crucial victory.

Village went into last night’s game knowing that they needed to win both their remaining league games to secure the league title, and they got off to a great start just after the half-hour mark.

Morris opened the scoring after excellent work from full-back Billy Bailey. Bailey played the ball to Michael Garnett, whose pass allowed Morris to score for the second game in a row, following his goal in last Sunday’s Keighley Cup final victory over Sandy Lane.

The away then seemed to tire, and Westwood seized the initiative. But Crossflatts’ back line stood firm thanks to some excellent defending and a man-of-the-match performance from Thorpe.

Thorpe defended his goal throughout and was outstanding in commanding his box and made a string of key saves.

The stopper’s magical moment came with 20 minutes remaining. Westwood were awarded a spot-kick when defender Kevin Gill was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box, and Thorpe got across to block John Smith’s strike with his chest and keep his side in league contention.

Village Manager Kevin Gill was relieved as his team held on for the three points.

“It is these sorts of moments that win league titles,” he said. “Dan was unbeatable today. It wasn’t just the penalty save, it was the way he commanded our back four and his penalty box.

“He also made a world-class save in the first half that he had no right to make. We are jaded after the recent fixture pile-up and we were a bit lucky today, but sometimes you make your own luck.

“We must regroup now and get ready for the last two games of the season.”

Crossflatts clash with Westwood again on Sunday in the League Cup final, before Village can secure the Championship title with victory over Wyke Rangers.