Hitchin Town are still searching for a way to get off the bottom of the Southern League Premier Division Central table but there were yet again plenty of suggestions that they will in the home defeat to Alvechurch.
In the end one goal did the damage, scored in the eighth minute by the play-off chasing visitors' Tyrell Skeen-Hamilton, and it was one they defended in dogged fashion under a wave of Canaries attacks.
Church keeper Dan Jezeph pulled off an incredible point-blank save to deny Callum Stead early in the second half while Rio Dasilva flashed a free-kick inches past the post.
Matthew Moloney, Hitchin's on-loan Luton Town forward, had two good chances but the first went begging after a horrible bobble while the second clipped angle of post and bar on its way behind.
They carried on their improvement with what could a morale-boosting 4-0 success away to Tring Athletic in round two of the Herts Senior Challenge Cup.
Lewis Barker and Steve Cawley notched in the first half while two very late strikes from Dasilva and Stead put the Canaries into the quarter-final where they will play the winner of St Albans City and Hertford Town.
Arlesey Town's form under caretaker boss Adam Randall continues to impress as they added another big win to last week's 4-1 success at Leverstock Green.
This one was a 5-1 home win over an injury-ravaged London Colney in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division.
Noah Costin got both the first-half goals for the Blues, although Finbar King halved the deficit on the stroke of half-time.
However, Archie Sayer restored that advantage on 66 minutes before two penalties in the closing seven minutes, the first bringing Costin his hat-trick and the second taking Sayer up to 11 for the season, secured another three points.
Stotfold meanwhile remain points clear at the top of Division One after a Jack Bradshaw goal earned them a 1-0 win at Buckingham Athletic.
Letchworth Eagles ended their run of back-to-back wins with a 4-1 reverse at home to Kidlington Res. Mark Summers got their only goal to leave it 1-1 at half-time but the Oxfordshire side drew clear after the break.
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