DURHAM City moved to within a point of the play-offs as they completed a league double over Bamber Bridge in a third successive win.

However, City boss Dickie Ord admits his side did it the hard way, holding on to win 2-1 in a game in which they should have been out of sight.

Goals either side of half-time from Amar Purewal and Andrew Stephenson put City in a commanding position, but Alistair Waddecar's late strike for Bridge made for a nervy final few minutes.

Ord, whose side moved up to seventh place in the Evo-Stik First Division North after winning the only game in their league which beat the freezing weather, said: “It was a terrific performance from the lads, it really was.

"We always seem to end up doing things the hard way, and when Bridge scored the late goal I just had to hope they would not snatch an equaliser.

"We should have been out of sight long before then, though.

“It could have ended up 30-3, we had so many chances. David Dowson had about ten!

"There are 11 games to go and we are capable of winning all of them, but even another nine or ten wins would surely put us in with a play-offs shout."

Durham went ahead in the 24th minute when Stephen Thompson fired a low ball across the face of goal and Amar Purewal was there to apply the finish.

Eight minutes into the second period City doubled their lead, with Dowson collecting a long pass from Thompson before setting up Stephenson.

Bridge got one back with five minutes to go via Waddecar's header after goalkeeper Lewis Graham failed to collect a free-kick.

BAMBER BRIDGE: Dovey, Bowyer (Clarke), Lakeland, Atherton, Lawler, D Mahoney, McLoughlin, Reynolds (Gonzales), Green, M Mahoney (Bonaminio), Waddecar

DURHAM CITY: L Graham, Madden, Shaw, Davis, Wilkinson, Arjun Purewal, Winter (Cutts), Stephenson, Dowson, Thompson (Pounder) , Amar Purewal

Referee: M Denton Attendance: 257