Steeton are virtually safe for another year in the North West Counties Football League First Division North after an excellent 4-2 win at fellow strugglers Garstang on Saturday.

They can no longer finish at the foot of the table, where Nelson currently reside in the only guaranteed relegation slot.

The bottom three could still all go down in the unlikely scenario of there being enough viable amateur sides able to move up to the semi-professional ranks and replace them.

And while Steeton are virtually there, seven points clear of third-bottom Garstang, who have three games left to play, their survival was almost sealed on a bizarre afternoon yesterday.

The Chevrons were not in action, but they will have been keeping an eye on scores elsewhere.

With second-bottom Shelley losing 2-1 at home to Holker Old Boys, in a game that kicked off an hour late due to travel trouble for the visitors, they can no longer catch Steeton.

That meant Roy Mason's side only needed a Garstang defeat yesterday to officially be confirmed as staying up.

And with Garstang 5-0 down after 45 minutes at home to a rampant AFC Blackpool, that looked certain to be the case.

But there was no second half, with the referee calling off the game due to a waterlogged pitch, leaving the visitors in disbelief.

Even so, yesterday’s bizarre events at Shelley and Garstang are unlikely to have an impact on Steeton, who did their bit in style at the weekend.

Flying out of the traps at The Riverside, the Chevrons raced into a three-goal lead in the first half courtesy of James Edgley, Josh McKiernon and Luke Baldwin.

Garstang pulled a goal back just after the break, before Emerson Mitchell made sure of the three points with just over five minutes to go.

The hosts did have the final word, scoring a last-gasp consolation that ultimately meant very little.

Steeton will be guaranteed to finish above the bottom three if they win at Euxton Villa on Saturday, though their result there will be irrelevant if Garstang lose at Atherton LR.