Heavy rain gave way to a bright opening weather-wise and for the Scholars. Debutant Joe Halsall was making a good impression in the middle of the park and there seemed to be much more fluidity to the Chasetown passing game.

Winger Ramone Stephens was giving Goole all sorts of frights and two or three early runs were all ended abruptly by cynical challenges that were lucky not to see a yellow card. From one of the fouls, Grant Beckett curled in a dangerous free kick that James Cottingham had to head behind for a corner under pressure from Tesfa Robinson.

Goole’s Ryan Williams dragged a shot well wide of the post in the home side’s only attempt in a first half dominated by Chasetown and it was no surprise when the Scholars took the lead. With 26 minutes gone, Stephens slid the ball through to Nick Wellecomme, who timed his run to beat the offside trap, and while Goole appealed, Wellecomme finished smartly past Liam Flynn. The goal was Chasetown FC’s 2,500th league goal since the club was renamed in 1972 when they joined the West Midlands (Regional) Division One.

Wellecomme went close to a second when he tried to get above the ball to keep a shot down, but it flashed inches over the crossbar with Flynn struggling.

At the start of the second period, Chasetown were still in the ascendancy and a strong run from Stephens took him quite wide on the right hand edge of the penalty area but he still managed to get a shot away which Flynn palmed over for a corner.

David Holdsworth’s side levelled against the run of play on 68 minutes when substitute Tyler Williams set the home side on the attack and after two efforts were blocked the loose ball ran to William Johnson-Cole who made no mistake from close range.

Paul Sullivan went on a superb run before forcing a save from Flynn before Beckett curled a dipping free-kick inches over the bar.

The Vikings then took the lead when Cottingham fired into the roof of the net after a cross from the Goole left found its way all away across the penalty area.

The Vikings clinched the game eight minutes from time when Luke Medley’s effort came back off the crossbar and left back Ashley Jackson was quickest to react to fire beyond Ryan Price.

Goole AFC: Flynn, Robson, Jackson, Cottingham, Yates, Colbear, Taylor (Tyler Williams, 62 mins), Foster, Medley, R Williams (Woolley, 90 mins), Johnson-Cole

Other subs: Freeman, Stevens, Kay (not used)

Chasetown: Ryan Price, Jack Farmer, Louis Keenan, Chris Slater, Tesfa Robinson, Joe Halsall, Ramone Stephens (Simon Brown, 73 mins), Lee Butler (Theo Robinson, 81 mins), Nick Wellecomme, Paul Sullivan, Grant Beckett

Other subs: Tyrone Williams, Craig Bannister, Danny Watson (not used)