by John Hopkins
WARRINGTON Rylands produced a five-star performance on Tuesday evening, sweeping aside MSB Woolton FC 5-0 to secure their place in the second round of the Liverpool County Cup.
Jake Burton struck twice, while Ben Hardcastle claimed a superb second-half hat-trick as The Blues eventually proved too strong for their North West Counties League visitors at the Quickline Logistics Arena.
Woolton made a promising start and almost took the lead after nine minutes, but Luke Pilling was equal to a close-range effort, producing an excellent save to keep the scores level.
Rylands responded quickly and broke the deadlock just two minutes later. Myles la Bastide delivered a dangerous cross into the penalty area, where Burton was on hand to turn the ball past Dan Jennings in the visiting goal.
The remainder of the first half was a much more evenly contested affair, with Woolton managing to keep Rylands at bay and take the 1-0 deficit into the interval.
Neil Reynolds had made several changes to his starting line-up, but the introduction of fresh legs just after the hour mark gave the home side a new lease of life.
The changes had an immediate impact. Dean Furman picked out Hardcastle with an inviting through ball, and the forward showed excellent composure, waiting for Jennings to advance before rounding the goalkeeper and finding the net.
Man of the Match Myles la Bastide
There was little time for Woolton to recover before Hardcastle struck again. Just four minutes after his opener, he found himself through on goal and once more beat Jennings to make it 3-0.
Burton then added his second of the evening, leaving the visitors with an uphill task, before Hardcastle completed his hat-trick to put the finishing touches on an emphatic victory.
After a relatively competitive first half, Rylands had taken complete control following the break, scoring four unanswered goals to comfortably book their place in the next round.
The Blues will now travel to Bootle for their second-round tie as they continue their pursuit of silverware.
Attention quickly turns back to league action, with Gainsborough Trinity visiting the Quickline Logistics Arena on Saturday.
Trinity currently sit fifth in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, three points above Rylands despite having played a game more. With the sides separated by little in the table, Saturday’s encounter promises to be an important test for The Blues.
Hardcastle scores his third
