Ayling cracks Crawley resistance

Saturday 13 December 2014 18:39, UK

Luke Ayling netted an 87th-minute winner to keep Bristol City top of the table with a 1-0 victory over Crawley on Saturday.

The defender showed great composure when the ball dropped to him 10 yards out following a corner and sent a well-struck volley past Crawley goalkeeper Lewis Price from a tight angle. It was tough on the visitors, who battled manfully to restrict their hosts and looked set for a point when they withstood some heavy pressure just before Ayling's goal. Crawley 'keeper Price made brilliant first-half saves to deny Kieran Agard and Joe Bryan as City made most of the running. The visitors were restricted to long-range efforts from Shaun Miller and Lanre Oyebanjo, but worked hard all over the park to limit the openings for their high-riding opponents. City looked a threat at set-pieces with the height of Aden Flint and Matt Smith causing problems for the Crawley defence. But John Gregory's team competed for every ball and appeared crest-fallen at the final whistle.