A BRACE from Ross Hopkins ensured Crostyx kept their promotion bid on track with their third consecutive league win over Harpenden at the Peter May Sport Centre.

A cagey opening saw the hosts struggle to make inroads, and after attempting and failing to exploit the wide areas, it became apparent that set pieces would be the best chance to get shots on goal.

And so it proved, as a strike from a short corner was parried by the keeper, and Hopkins was on hand with a clever reverse nudge to open the scoring.

Another short corner yielded a second as a well-rehearsed training ground move foiled the Harpenden defence, with the ball ending up in the roof of the net after Hopkins’ smart deflection.

The goalscorer’s game was cut short by a groin injury, but the damage had been done.

Russell Timms fired in after the break to give the away side hope, and when Styx’s Rob McKay was sent to the sidelines for verbal abuse, the hosts would have been forgiven for thinking it wasn't going to be their day.

However, after a period of sustained pressure, Gareth Ingram fired in from another penalty corner and Crostyx were home and dry, with Callum Burden outstanding throughout.

The team lie just one place behind Pelicans in third in East Premier B and with ninth-placed Norwich City next on the agenda, they will be confident of keeping the pressure on the top two.