Salisbury City are right back in the Conference South title race.

Last night's 2-0 home result over Cambridge City was a third straight league win for Nick Holmes's men, who have knocked Havant & Waterlooville out of fourth spot.

It wasn't a classic, but a goal in each half by Wayne Turk and substitute Robbie Matthews was enough to lift Whites four points behind leaders Histon with a game in hand.

Now that the distraction of the FA Cup is out of the way, Salisbury have gone from strength to strength.

Since losing 2-0 at Nottingham Forest on December 12 in a first round replay, the Wiltshire club have flexed their muscles with a seven-game unbeaten run, including Trophy wins over Conference National duo Woking and Southport.

On a night littered with debatable refereeing decisons, Salisbury took the lead on 35 minutes when midfielder Turk received a square ball from Matt Tubbs and unleashed a right-foot shot which deflected past keeper Danny Naisbitt.

Salisbury had two penalty shouts - both for handball - waved away in the 16th and 36th minutes and Cambridge striker Craig O'Connor was lucky to stay on the field after twice wrestling Whites skipper Aaron Cook to the ground and then fouling Tubbs.

When a decision did finally go Salisbury's way on 53 minutes, top scorer Tubbs fired a penalty five yards wide having been bundled over by Naisbitt, who was duly red-carded.

Substitute keeper Edgar Mercade performed miracles to keep Salisbury out, denying Tubbs, Matthews and Turk.

Ten-man Cambridge had one chance to level on 69 minutes, but Charlie Henry was smartly denied by Ryan Clarke.

Salisbury pushed hard for a second, urged on by a 791 crowd, and it finally arrived in the 90th-minute with a breakaway effort from Matthews.

The towering striker ran clean through from the edge of his own area after Mercade had gone up for a Cambridge corner.

Holmes's men are at home again on Saturday to lowly Bedford Town.

Andover bowed out of the Basingstoke Senior Cup 4-2 last night against a Thatcham Town side who had parted company with their manager Jason Braidwood earlier this week.

Braidwood resigned on Monday night and has been replaced by a joint managerial team comprising his former assistant John Goddard and coach Lee Tillen.

Andover, on a run of three straight wins in the Southern 1 South & West, never really recovered from falling two down inside 20 minutes at Waterside Park.

Hat-trick man Jamie Green and Sean Cook struck for Thatcham, while the Lions replied through Adam Heath and Gary Middleton.