Gloucester City 0 Lowestoft Town 1

It may not have been the best game of football you'll see this season, but that mattered not a jot for the few travelling Lowestoft fans who saw their side end a six-match winless run.

The signs had been there in the previous week's draw with high-fliers Solihull Moors, but the players dug deep in the windswept Cotswolds to ensure they could celebrate an elusive victory.

The last time the Trawlerboys tasted victory on the road was at Alfreton way back at the start of the season when confidence was on a high.

And that confidence looks to be returning with some assured displays in tricky conditions – from young on-loan keeper Ben Killip all the way to leading scorer Jake Reed, who once again underlined his potential with the game's only goal.

To be fair, it wasn't plain sailing for Ady Gallagher's side as they struggled to get out of their own half for the opening 30 minutes, the gale force wind combining with a determined Gloucester side to keep them penned in.

And Killip needed to be at his best to keep the Tigers at bay. He did well to keep out a point-blank header from Matt Williams after just three minutes and then managed to block a Tom Webb shot moments later.

The home side continued to press and a rare lapse in concentration from the Lowestoft defence saw a deep cross from Joe Hanks pick out the unmarked Chris Knowles in front of goal, but Killip was equal to the task again, blocking the header with his legs.

After weathering the storm, in more ways than one, the visitors stunned the home side with their only real effort of the half. On 34 minutes, Reed and City defender Sam Avery battled for the ball on the near-side of the area. Both ended up on the floor, but it was Reed who reacted quickest and then showed great strength and determination to drill a shot past Gloucester keeper Jasbir Singh from eight yards.

The goal took the fight out of the home side and it wasn't until early in the second period that they went close to levelling, a Jonté Smith shot that Killip pushed around a post.

But with the Lowestoft defence holding firm and midfield taking charge, the visitors slowly began to get the upper hand. On 69 minutes, Danny Crow tried an audacious 60-yard wind-assisted lob over Singh only for the ball to sail high and wide of the Gloucester target.

Seven minutes later the excellent Michael Spillane went close when he got his head on a deep Adam Smith free-kick only to see the ball fly wide. The closing stages saw City throw men forward in search of an equaliser and it nearly came six minutes from time. A Hanks free-kick picked out sub Harry Williams and his powerful header had to be spectacularly tipped over the bar by Killip.