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Consett went toe to toe with runaway league leaders Worksop Town at Belle View Stadium, but just fell short as they tried to halt their promotion juggernaut.

The Steelmen, who had five wins in their last six games, made one change from the midweek win over Shildon, with Nathan Greenwood, their new signing from Whickham, coming in for Scott Fenwick.

But their ranks were severely depleted, with Ross Coombe, Karl Byrne, Mark McLeod and Kieren Aplin missing through injury, Adam Mitchell serving the final match of his three-game suspension, and Lewis Green and Declan Bisset leaving for pastures new in midweek.

Worksop were without their top scorer Liam Hughes, who has 31 goals in all competitions, but still carried a significant threat up front, in the form of 13-goal Liam Hardy and giant No 10 James Hanson.

Consett took the lead after five minutes when the ball was played into Calvin Smith, and the midfielder hit a dipping half-volley into the corner from 15 yards, pictured top, for his third goal in the last five games.

Worksop replied with a low effort from right-back Regan Hutchinson, who cut inside and fired off a left-footed shot, but it was an easy enough take for home keeper Mark Foden.

On 12 minutes Consett thought they had doubled their lead when Greenwood converted from Jake Orrell’s through ball, but he was denied a dream debut after being flagged offside.

Two minutes later a foul on Zak Atkinson gave Consett a free-kick 25 yards out, and although Orrell’s setpiece beat the wall it flew wide of the near post.

The home side had started brightly, but Worksop levelled in the 20th minute when Jay Rollins’s cross from the right was headed back across goal by Hanson and left-back Josh Wilde nodded in from close range.

Consett responded well, and had a half-chance on 24 minutes, when Charlie Exley sent in a cross from the left and Atkinson’s header was deflected behind off a defender for a corner.

Worksop took the lead on the half-hour with an almost identical goal to their first. This time their playmaker Terry Hawkridge sent over a deep corner from the right, Hanson set it up, and centre-back Jack Broadhead finished from close range.

Worksop were enjoying their best period of the game, and had another chance on 34 minutes when Sam Wedgbury’s ball forward was kep alive by Rollins. He held off his man and teed up Hanson for a half-volley, but the big striker blazed high and wide.

Two minutes later Consett had another chance when Foden gathered a corner and launched a quick counter-attack, punting the ball upfield to Greenwood, who took his shot early and watched it bounce narrowly wide.

Half-time: Consett 1 Worksop Town 2

The interval was reached with the visitors a goal to the good, and Greenwood missed a good chance to level just after the break, firing over the bar from Atkinson’s flick-on.

The game became a little cagey as the referee dished out a series of yellow cards, including one for Matty Slocombe, which takes him to 10 league cautions for the season, triggering another suspension.

On the hour Smith had another half-chance for Consett when he met a cross from the right, but his header from 10 yards out was straight at the keeper.

The game lost some of its momentum midway through the half when Consett’s top scorer Zak Atkinson went down with no one near him, and had to be stretchered off with a serious-looking ankle injury.

The injury seemed to knock Consett out of their stride, but they had a chance on 77 minutes when keeper Sebastian Malkowski denied Dan Capewell from a corner, injuring himself in the process.

At the other end, Consett were grateful to Foden for a good save from sub Luke Hall on 78 minutes, when he was quickly off his line the deny him.

Though visiting skipper Hamza Bencherif hit the bar with a header with two minutes to go, Worksop could have been reduced to 10 men when Hutchinson sent Exley flying with a scything challenge, pictured below.

It was certainly worse than the ones Calvin Smith and Adam Mitchell saw red for in recent games, but the referee thought a yellow card was sufficient.

Consett almost snatched a deserved point deep into injury time when Matty Slocombe fired just wide from 20 yards, but despite giving it their all, the Steelmen became the latest victims of Worksop’s relentless march towards the title.

The result stretched their unbeaten league run to 25 games, but Consett could hold their heads high at having given the leaders a much tougher test than when they lost the corresponding away game 3-1 back in October.