Scarborough, 2-0 winners at home to Hednesford on Saturday, are in the draw for the fourth round of the Umbro Trophy, which they won three times in the 70s, but manager Russell Slade's priority is the Conference League.

"It's nice to have a run in the trophy, but we have two league games this week and these are the ones we have to win," he said.

It is a measure of the progress that the club has made since Malcolm Reynolds took over in November, bringing in Slade, that Saturday's competent performance was received with muted enthusiasm.

Scarborough dominated for long periods and created, once more, a lot of chances with sweet flowing football.

"We weren't all really at our best - apart from Jason Blunt and Paul Shepherd - and yet we now have a resilience, which means that the team is now able to win games that a month or so ago would have been lost," said Slade.

He has strengthened the side with a clutch of quality players and yet another newcomer was on the scoresheet when 19-year-old Scouser Darren Connell made the most of a deft pass from David Pounder after only 13 minutes.

Connell has been playing in Holland after early spells at Blackpool and Bolton and was only in the side because Dene Shields had a virus.

"Darren will score goals and it is good to have competition for places in the side" said Slade.

The second goal from Darryn Stamp was a long time coming and it wasn't until the dying seconds that one of a dozen second half corners finally produced the close range effort.

While Hednesford produced no direct threat on the home goal, there was always the feeling that they may equalise with their direct methods - especially when the 6ft 7ins Kevin Francis made a cameo appearance in the last five minutes.

But in truth, the goalmouth action was all at the other end of the pitch.

Karl Rose forced Mark Gayle to save smartly on a couple of occasions, Stamp had a header cleared off the line and Pounder rounded the keeper, but could only hit the side netting and several other efforts were blocked by the Hednesford defenders.

Scarborough: Woods, Faure, Shepherd, Rennison; Blunt, Baker, Stoker, Jordan; Pounder, Connell (Stamp 63), Rose

Hednesford: Gayle, Simpson, Gardiner, Barrow; Airdrie, Lake, Dodd (Francis 85), Trainer (Brown 66) Lucas (Haran 45); Lancashire, Charie

Referee: D Birkett

Attendance: 955

Updated: 12:29 Monday, January 14, 2002