RAMSBOTTOM United go into FA Cup Preliminary round action at home to Hallam on Sunday on the back of a dream start to their league campaign.

United sit proudly on top of Vodkat North West Counties Premier League after a hard-fought victory at Atherton Collieries on Tuesday night, which followed Saturday’s 2-1 win against visitors Squires Gate.

The 100 per cent start has delighted Rams boss Andy Feeley.

“It’s great to get going with two wins,” he said. “Although both wins were by a single goal margin and it looks like we were holding on, we were actually quite comfortable on both occasions.

“That’s because we were ahead and the opposition were chasing things that weren’t there and doing things like throwing on a 6ft 5ins centre forward and launching it from set plays. No-one was opening us up from open play.

“Against Squires Gate we had three or four one-on-ones and could have won by much more.

“My belief is that if you’re 1-0 up away from home you should either win, or at least draw 1-1.”

Joshua Hill scored the only goal of the game against Atherton shortly after the break, but the Rams were thanking the woodwork as they almost took the lead when an Andy Barker header cannoned off the bar and out to safety.

Rams frontman Andy Sensale caused all sorts of problems for the Collieries defence and he saw a couple of half chances easily saved.

Chris Smithies also proved to be a real handful and he could have given the Rams the half-time lead just before the interval after he brought the ball under control, took two out defenders before forcing a terrific save out of the Collieries goalkeeper.

The second half saw the Rams take the game to Collieries and they created several openings.

However, they broke the deadlock on 50 minutes when the ball was played into the area and Smithies unselfishly chested the ball down inside the area where Hill was on hand to smash in a low shot that gave the keeper no chance.

Minutes later, and the Rams should have wrapped the game up when Sensale was played through down the right-hand side and, after making headway into the Collieries area he squared the ball for Smithies who was put off by a defender.

In the Squires Gate game, Sensale opened the scoring for the Rams on 14 minutes when he raced on to a through ball before hitting a powerful shot which gave keeper Yeomans no chance.

Five minutes later, the Rams were in wonderland when a Squires Gate defender tried to play the ball back to the keeper, but his backpass looped over Yeomans into the net.

Gate pulled one back on 63 minutes when Tom Phillips out-jumped the defence to head the ball into the net, but Rammy held on for a winning start.