Moors were beaten on their travels for the second time this week as Buxton held on to claim all three points at The Tarmac Silverlands Stadium.

A first half double from Sam Osborne did the damage for The Bucks and they got across the line for their fourth successive win despite Glen Taylor pulling one back with three minutes remaining.

Taylor was making his first start since recovering from an ankle injury, while Dan Langley also returned between the posts and Connor Shanks was handed a place in the starting eleven.

There was a scrappy start to the game as both sides felt each other out, with the first clear opportunity falling to Paul Blackett when he ran on to Connor Shanks’ cross from the right but headed over.

Taylor’s first-time pass then set Blackett away down the right-hand side and, as the striker drove towards goal, Buxton skipper Josh Granite charged across to get in the way just in the nick of time.

From the resultant corner, Lebrun Mbeka ghosted in at the far post but couldn’t direct his header on target and it dropped wide.

On 20 minutes it was The Bucks who opened the scoring. A ball forward was flicked into the path of Sam Osborne and he moved inside from the left to find space to fire a low shot beyond Langley and into the bottom left corner.

Blackett lifted a speculative shot over the bar as he looked to catch keeper Theo Richardson off his line, before Reece Kendall screwed an effort wide from 20 yards.

Five minutes before the break it was 2-0 though. Buxton worked the ball well down the right and, when a cross was stood up to the far post, Osborne was in the right place to nod his second goal of the afternoon from close range.

The home side started well in the second half too when Max Conway’s shot was blocked by Tait, while Brad Jackson blasted a shot wastefully over the bar in space on the right.

Taylor then came close to reducing the arrears when he did well to engineer a volley on goal at the back post despite being off balance only for it to go straight at the keeper.

Some good football down the right saw Rob Ramshaw drive into space and stand a cross up to the far post which was met by Shanks but he couldn’t quite adjust his body to volley on goal and it flashed wide.

Lebrun Mbeka came even closer on 68 minutes following good work by Shanks on the edge of the area when the defender’s low shot came back off the post and Blackett’s follow-up was blocked.

Langley had to produce a smart save down to his right after a weaving run forward and shot from Conway as Moors pressed forward to try and find a route back into the game.

A deep delivery to the far post from the left was headed back across goal by Tait towards Taylor who got up to nod on goal only to see the effort kiss the top of the cross bar on its way over.

There were nearly 87 minutes on the clock when Moors finally did find a breakthrough. Kendall found a yard to whip a ball in from the left and Taylor got across his man at the front post to apply a deft finish and make it 2-1.

Shanks drew a save from Richardson with a drive on goal but Moors were thankful to Mbeka for a wonderful last-ditch challenge to deny substitute Diego De Girolamo at the other end. Langley then had to go full length to deny Connor Kirby, whose powerful drive was destined for the corner.

Full Time: Buxton 2 Moors 1

Buxton: Richardson, Brown, Granite, Hull, Conway, Jackson (Brisley 71), Kirby, McCourt, Osborne (Boden 81), Elliott (De Girolamo 53), Ackroyd.
Subs not used: Barnett, Poole.

Booked: McCourt (25), Brown (56), Conway (70)

Moors: Langley, Lufudu (Wombwell 46), Mbeka, Tait, Kendall, Greaves, Ross (Day 81), Ramshaw, Shanks, Blackett, Taylor.
Subs not used: Ledger, Angell, McKeown.

Booked: Lufudu (24)

Referee: Jonathan Maskrey

Attendance: 756