Squires Gate 1-6 Lancaster City

The Dolly Blues went close to opening the scoring in the first minute when Niall Cowperthwaite fired a shot over the bar and in the 12th minute City made the breakthrough when Charlie Bailey drilled the ball into box and Paul Dawson smashed it home.

Dawson went close again in the 20th minute when his header was tipped over the bar, and six minutes later it was Jack Armer’s turn to go close, his headed effort coming back of the post and into the hands of Squires Gate keeper Ben Fletcher.

Dawson doubled City’s advantage on the half hour mark after a lovely ball from Rowan Roach, although Ryan Charnley almost pulled on back two minutes later, luckily for the Blues his shot came back off the post.

However, in the 34th minute Dawson completed his hat-trick when he headed home at the back post, and four minutes later Sam Bailey set up Charlie Bailey, who fired the ball home from outside the box to make it 4-0.

Bailey almost grabbed his second of the game in the 40th minute but his shot was cleared off the line after being played in by Roache.

The home side then got off the mark with a minute of the first half remaining when the ball was put into the penalty area and Riccardo Egidi finished it off to make it 4-1 going into half time.

Squires Gate almost pulled another goal back eight minutes into the second period when the ball was whippd in and cleared off the line, and four minutes later a shot was blazed over the bar as City managed to hold on to their three goal advantage.

Max Povey had to be at his best with 12 minutes to go, the City keeper making a hat-trick of saves as the hosts piled on the pressure.

However, two minutes later that pressure was relieved when Armer got on the scoresheet to make it 5-1 and game over, and with just one minute to go Niall Cowperthwaite made it 6-1.