Chasetown FC’s young Scholars were in charge throughout this fixture as they cruised to a 5-1 victory over Stalybridge Celtic.
Despite the snowy weather the young guns were ahead after only eight minutes and controlled the game in fine style with five different names on the scoresheet.
Referee Mark Warren brought the kick-off time forward by 15 minutes due to the conditions and Daniel Scragg put the Scholars ahead in the eighth minute before firing wide a short time later.
Celtic showed signs of recovery from a slow start and home keeper Dale Faultless punched away Brad Byrne’s cross on 27 minutes before Ashley Garside produced a good run down the left but there was no-one to put away his cross.
On 35 minutes Chasetown’s lead was doubled as Robinson got his head perfectly to Troy Hemus’s free kick and the ball nestled in the far corner of the net.
Five minutes later Jack Farmer just failed to get his head to a Theo Robinson free kick and Zach Cogger and Andy Westwood saw shots blocked to close the half.
The Scholars were straight back into form after the break as the snow eased slightly, and on 49 minutes Cogger drove forward and was able to round Celtic keeper Michael Jones to calmly slot home their third.
Cogger almost made it two moments later but this time Jones got behind his shot, and thereafter the pace of the game slowed as the players began to tire following the frantic early action.
Substitute Jonathan Gould shot wide on 73 minutes but ten minutes later his solo run down the left set up Richard Lane whose shot beat the diving Jones for Chasetown’s fourth, and the home side added a fifth two minutes later as Hemus blasted a shot to the keeper’s right.
Stalybridge earned a consolation goal from the penalty spot after the hosts conceded a foul in the 87th minute, and Garside fired his kick high to Faultless’s right.
Chasetown: Faultless, Vassallo, Hemus, Turner, Horton, Farmer, Robinson, Westwood, Cogger, Scragg, Degville-Cross. Subs: Lane (Turner 73), Becque, Gaur, Wiggins, Gould (Degville-Cross 67), Dakin (Scragg 80), Kelly.
Stalybridge: Jones, Anderson, Hibbert, Garside, Paul, Bemboleta, O’Brien, Pyatt, Chadwick, Byrne, Bentley. Subs: Halkyard (Bemboleta 55), Grant (Chadwick 75).