SELBY Town finally saw their play-off hopes extinguished on Saturday with a resounding 4-0 home defeat against Dearne & District, who had already secured their position in the playoffs.
Jason Circuit gave the visitors a half-time lead and second-half goals from Jamie Austin, with two, and Taylor Nicholson added to the score.
Indeed Selby were indebted to man of the match, goalkeeper Joe Wilton, who had an inspired game and without his contribution, the scoreline could easily have been doubled.
Town made a couple of changes in their format for the game with Liam Love and Finlay Wade missing out. Brennan McNulty and Matty Dawes came back into the starting 11.
In front of a crowd of 301, the Robins were under pressure from the first whistle and McNulty made a timely tackle to concede a corner as Dearne attacked.
The visitors thought that they had got the opening goal on seven minutes but the effort was disallowed for a foul on Wilton. Just after this, Wilton made a great block at the edge of his penalty and the overworked keeper then made a smart save to his right from a raspy Circuit drive.
At the other end, a Caden McGrath cross was headed on by Sam Calvert but the ball was cleared.
Dearne had another chance when Jack Normanton scuffed a shot wide with only Wilton to beat, and after another great block the keeper was eventually beaten on 31 minutes when Circuit smashed the ball in from the edge of the 18-yard area.
The second-half opened with Jack Bull putting in a great tackle to concede a corner, and minutes later Town had their clearest chance of a goal when Ellis Pickard, in the visiting goal, got a hand to the ball to clear off the foot of Calvert.
Joe Wilton in the Selby Town goal kept the scoreline down. (Image: Harvey Brewster) Wilton then made three superb blocks in the space of seconds to keep his side in the game but his efforts were dashed on 72 minutes when Austin poked the ball home.
Selby were finding few chances against the visitors although a Dec Racher cross floated inches over the bar and Matty Dawes put his first time shot also over the bar.
Eight minutes from the end two became three when a cross from the right was met by Nicholson, who hit across Wilton into the far corner of the net.
Seconds before the final whistle Dearne got their fourth goal and Austin his second, when he hit home from 10-yards out
Town dropped a place to nith in the table and their goal now is to finish in the top 10. They visit Dronfield Town next Saturday for their penultimate game of the season.
SELBY TOWN: Wilton, McNulty (Greening), Racher, Marsh (Dry), Gothard, Bull, Dawes (Cooper), Danby, Clapham, Calvert, McGrath
