SUPER COLLS ON CLOUD 9!

ATHERTON Collieries recorded their biggest win since 1982 as they played superbly and crushed

Skelmersdale United 9-1 in the Evo-Stik Division One West.

Remarkably, it was the visiting side who took the lead after only six minutes, Paul Ennis tapping in from a corner.

But it was truly a case of awakening the dormant beast, as goals from Ben Hardcastle, Ian Rowlands and two for Jordan Cover – the second his 100th for the club – made it 4-1 at halftime.

Atherton continued to assert their dominance in the second period as Gareth Peet got the scoring underway again before Cover notched his hat-trick in the 64th minute.

Hardcastle soon followed suit, grabbing two goals late on, with Cover’s fourth sandwiched in-between to put the Atherton team on cloud nine.

Radcliffe made it four from four in the league as they brushed aside

Colwyn Bay 3-0 at the Neuven Stadium.

Both sides got off to a flyer but it was the Boro who broke the deadlock when Tunde Owolabi headed past Patrick Wharton with just two minutes on the clock from a brilliantly whipped Scott Metcalfe corner.

Radcliffe started the second half just as they did the first, Rick Smith putting them two ahead on 48 minutes – his initial shot cannoning off the post but he was there to volley home the rebound.

Owolabi looked lively late on and his dribbling won the Boro a penalty on 70 minutes with Ben Wharton sending the keeper the wrong way to add to his tally. Market Drayton Town’s second league win on the season against

Droylsden was a thoroughly entertaining, well deserved yet strangely frustrating affair as they triumphed 3-1.

The two-goal margin was about right – but the number of chances both sides managed to miss rather outweighed those that they scored.

Drayton had two of theirs in the first nine minutes, Matthew Ballard cashing in on a great run by Stefan Walker and Will

Wells converting good work by Desean Martin for the second.

Domaime Rouse pulled one back in the 27th minute as he was left unmarked at a corner.

And when Drayton’s outstanding man-of-the-match striker Steven Walker ran the length of the pitch to score an exceptional third, everything pointed to a scoring spree.

But when Ballard scooped the ball over the visitors’ bar from five yards and then Droylsden’s otherwise dangerous Sefton Gonzales blasted a penalty straight at Town keeper Ash Rawlins the writing was on the wall – and it read 3-1.

Mossley remained unbeaten as they drew 1-1 with Ramsbottom at Seel Park.

It was a first half that saw plenty of chances for both sides, Lilywhites’ keeper Jonny Diba with two superb saves in the opening minutes.

The 18th minute saw a controversial decision as Dieter Downey was sent off after a tackle on the halfway line, which seemed a dubious call, and it looked a tough task for Mossley with ten men for 70 minutes.

The Lilywhites came out all guns blazing for the second 45, however, and a corner from Ben Richardson found the head of Adam Jones who duly made it 1-0.

There was controversy again when the visitors were awarded a questionable penalty, which Diba saved superbly, but the rebound was converted by the Rams’ Lee Gaskell to make it 1-1 and that was how it stayed. Elswhere Clitheroe

Town claimed a muchneeded win as they left it late to beat Leek Town 2-1 away from home.

Zeph Thomas converted a first-half penalty to put his side a goal to the good at the break but could not repeat the trick and saw a second-spot kick saved by Clitheroe keeper Ed Wilczynski.

And they made their opponents pay for their profligacy, as first Jay Jeffries and then Derek Ubah turned things around.