Atherton Collieries picked up a confident and assured 4-0 victory against NPL West play-off hopefuls Trafford to reaffirm their bid for a ninth successive Northern Premier League season.
The Stripes began how they intended to go on, with Danny Lafferty notching an early goal on six minutes after a header from Joe Piggott.
Joe Edwards twice went close to doubling Colls lead, cracking a 20-yard drive just wide in the 20th minute and five minutes later flashing a shot into the side-netting from 15 yards.
Home keeper Sol Honor was a virtual spectator for much of the first period but was called into action in the 28th minute when he pushed a long-range effort from Toba Obitayo past his right hand upright.
Four minutes later Colls struck again and once more it was from a free-kick from the left-hand side, man-of-the-match Piggott rising the highest to head the ball past Sam Booth and into the bottom corner from an Aaron Dwyer delivery.
Dwyer thought he had made it three just before the interval when he broke clear and pushed the ball past Booth but the assistant referee ruled he was marginally offside.
The second half opened with both teams giving the ball away repeatedly and it wasn’t until the 63rd minute that there was an attempt on goal, Trafford midfielder Cian Donohue heading over from 10 yards following a free-kick from the right.
Colls were proving to be physically superior to a Trafford side in which Jerome Wright and Kevin Spinelli were the only players to emerge with any credit.
Dwyer broke clear in the 80th minute, but was denied by a brave save at point-blank range by Booth.
But just a minute later Booth made an uncharacteristic error when he allowed a low drive from the edge of the penalty area by Dwyer to squirm under his body and make it 3-0.
Two minutes later the scoring was completed when a neat move down the left ended with a low cross that substitute Tom Bentham expertly guided into the far corner.
A Matty Lusakueno shot from the edge of the penalty area was deflected wide and Honor’s only save during that dour second half came in the 90th minute when Wright saw his low drive comfortably held.
The home win capped a good few days for Colls after their Under-18s progressed to the semi-final of the Wigan Cup with an upset 3-1 win against senior side Garswood United.
A brace from Liam Sheppard capped a fine team performance from the Young Stripes, who matched their opposition from the step seven Cheshire Premier League throughout, reaffirming their ambitions for the season following two cup exits in their previous two matches.
Defensively, Leon Tennant and James Wharton again impressed for the Colls, and were unfortunate not to take a clean sheet against the physical and difficult opposition, while the young midfield of Archie O’Neill, Harry Stephens and Alfie Rogers made their senior experience across this season count with a dominant display.
With some key players unavailable for the U18s, first-teamers Will Riding, Joe Rothwell and Calen Gallagher-Allison, captain for much of this campaign, made cameo appearances to bolster the ranks, with Riding netting a first-half header, teed up by Sheppard following great Harry Stephens pressure on the back line.
Sheppard turned from creator to finisher for the Colls second, latching onto an O’Neill through ball and looping the ball around the Garswood stopper.
The Wooders did pull a goal back in the dying embers of the second half, courtesy of an unfortunate deflection, but midfield pressure again provided the opportunity for Riding and Sheppard to seal victory, with Sheppard finding his 49th youth team goal of the season after heading past the goalkeeper.
