ANDY Wyton has praised the way his Gornal Athletic players have reacted to the disappointing defeat against promotion rivals Sporting Khalsa.

Following the 3-0 away loss at the start of the month, Gornal have gone on to secure hard-fought back-to-back wins.

The Peacocks followed up last Wednesday's win at Cradley Town by taking all three points with a 1-0 win against Pegasus Juniors at Garden Walk last Saturday.

Boss Wyton said: "The players have reacted really well. The conditions against Pegasus were difficult but we managed to do enough to get the win. It was a similar situation against Cradley.

"The main thing is that we got the job done. The defeat to Khalsa was difficult but we have moved on quickly and responded in the right manner."

A Matt Vaughan header early in the second half was enough to give Gornal the win.

Played on a heavy pitch and with temperatures plummeting, it was a game that proved a close contest as both sides battled hard for the ball.

It was only in the second half, when Gornal played to the conditions by hitting their front men earlier, that they began to have more joy.

The Peacocks also welcomed Dreniz Bala back to the starting lineup after a short spell with Causeway United.

It was Pegasus that edged the early exchanges and they got the first shot away when captain Paul Allam curled a long-range effort over the bar after five minutes.

Gradually Gornal found their feet and enjoyed more possession thanks to the terrier-like midfield play of the impressive Brett McGilligan. Time and time again he was on hand to snap in with a challenge before keeping his composure to play simple passes in difficult conditions.

However, it still took the home side until the 20th minute mark to have their first sight of goal when Grant Joshua glanced a deep Vaughan ball into the box just post the post.

Forward Kiea Cowley was a standout bright spark for the visitors, though he had an often thankless task trying to hold the ball up and create his own chances.

Gornal's best chance of the half fell to Craig Stevens in injury time. He collected the ball just inside the area, cut onto his left foot but fired just past the post.

It meant that neither goalkeeper had been forced into a save in the first period.

The home side, however, started the second half with real purpose and created three good opening in a matter of minutes.

First, on 49 minutes, Bala collected the ball at the far post but hit his effort straight at Nathan Phillips in the Pegasus goal.

A minute late, midfielder Craig Stevens rattled the visitors' bar with a long-range drive after Tom Piggott had cut the ball back.

The Athletic onslaught continued on 51 minutes, but again they were denied.

Bala hit the keeper once more from the angle of the penalty area before Piggott followed up and had his effort blocked and turned away for a corner.

Just when it looked like the Pegasus rearguard would hold out, Vaughan rose highest from the resulting corner to guide the ball home and break the deadlock.

Though it was Gornal that always looked the more threatening in the final third, thanks mainly to the hard running of Bala and his link up with Piggott, it was Pegasus that could have snatched a leveller with just five minutes left on the clock.

Cowley turned well to lose his man and crossed for the advanced Andy Mowen to poke towards goal. But keeper Kennedy reached out brilliantly to tip the ball round his post.

They could have wrapped up the victory in injury time when Liam Hickman raced through and lifted his effort over the advancing Phillips but wide of the goal.

Gornal will now face Wolverhampton Sporting Community away this Saturday as they look to make it three wins on the bounce.

They will be without Geoff Hill and Rion Francis-Mills after they both left the club.

On their departure, Wyton said: "I only want players that want to be here. If they are not in the team they just need to work hard to be involved."