London Colney warmed up for their first appearance in this year’s FA Vase by racking up a 12th league win at St Margaretsbury.

The Blueboys face Godmanchester Rovers on Saturday in Cambridgeshire and will be full of confidence after this 2-1 success put them 12 points clear at the top of Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division.

Greg Shaw got the goals with both coming from the penalty spot but it wasn’t as striaght forward as perhaps they would have liked.

St Margaretsbury have yet to win a league game this season and prop up the Premier Division table but they started the brighter and had the first chance when Courtney Clay headed just wide.

Colney came back into it but struggled to get a shot on target until a Shaw header forced Adam Seymour to tip one round the post.

And it was the hosts who finished the half like they started it, Tom Gowans making a good stop from a George Beattie effort.

However, five minutes into the second half the Blueboys were ahead.

Mark Riddick’s charge into the box was stopped by a Ray Carroll trip and shaw smashed the ball into the left-hand side of the goal.

Any thought’s about the goal opening the floodgates however were misguided and within 12 minutes St Margaretsbury were level.

Clay got it after being allowed to run into the box and drill a low shot beyond Gowans.

Manager Joe Sweeney took that as the time to shuffle his pack bringing on Spencer Clarke-Mardel before replacing an injured Tom Silford with James Lawrence.

But just when it seemed the hosts were going to pick up a vital point, they were penalised, somewhat harshly in some people’s eyes, for handball.

Shaw didn’t need a second chance and made it 2-1.

Clarke-Mardel sent a header wide and Dave Parkinson had a cheeky backheel cleared off the line by Michael Cooper.

It was Bury who had the last shout when Tomi Fagbongbe broke clear but with only Gowans to beat he shot wide and the chance was gone.