There was no stopping Clitheroe on Saturday as they won 9-1 in a near perfect performance against a Darlaston Town side that arrived with just one available substitute following a week of internal turmoil.

Clitheroe needed just a minute to open the scoring when Josh Briggs cut inside from the left and saw his effort deflect into the net.

Ten minutes later, the Blues doubled their lead as Harry Scarborough converted a penalty won through Luke Gill being brought down in the area.

Darlaston were forced to make their one and only change of the game in the 19th minute as Ari-Jae Shaw was replaced by Tomas Beeby after suffering an injury.

Just past the half hour mark, Lewis Trickett made it 3-0 when Gill’s flicked header saw the in-form attacker best Stanley Amos in a one on one.

A perfectly placed finish from Veron Parny and a powerful strike from Danny Wilkins put the game out of sight for Darlaston before the break.

Half Time: Clitheroe 5-0 Darlaston Town

After the restart, Darlaston’s Exodus Geohaghon was forced off through injury, leaving the visitors to play the remainder of the match with 10 men and no substitutes available.

Clitheroe showed no signs of slowing down in the second half as Scarborough scored his brace with a lovely finish under Amos before Gill added his name to the scoresheet when Briggs found him unmarked in the area.

Darlaston pulled a goal back through Sam Smith who converted a low cross from Deandre Davis in the 65th minute.

Briggs restored the advantage almost immediately, cutting inside from the left and blasting home a near carbon copy of his first in the 67th minute.

Darlaston’s afternoon deteriorated further when Callum Knowles was shown a straight red card after a late and reckless challenge on Leon Creech, leaving the visitors to play the remaining 15 minutes with nine men.

Sekouba Sanogo completed the scoring when his left footed strike from inside the box found its way into the bottom corner beyond Amos to see the game finish 9-1.

Full Time: Clitheroe 9-1 Darlaston Town

Despite the emphatic victory, Clitheroe remain in the same league position. The result does, however, see them move into a positive goal difference. With back to back wins and 11 goals in two games, the Blues will look to continue their impressive form when they host Runcorn Linnets on Saturday 28th February.