West Riding County Amateur League Premier Division: Steeton 6 Lower Hopton 2

For the third successive match at Steeton, spectators were treated to eight goals as the hosts returned to winning ways.

The Chevrons showed their attacking intent with little more than a minute on the clock when Ben Clarkson latched on to a loose ball but his shot went narrowly wide.

But the deadlock was broken after 11 minutes when Andy Briggs took advantage of some poor defending, beat his man and placed a shot over goalkeeper Jeremy Travers.

Ten minutes later Clarkson was tripped in the box and skipper Michael Rhodes converted the resulting penalty.

The visitors came into the game but the central defensive pairing of Sam Rooke and Steve Pearson made sure keeper Joe Mash was rarely troubled. That allowed full backs Rhodes and Elliott Scott to overlap down the wings to great effect and supply the attack with a number of crosses.

The hosts increased their lead after 22 minutes when Jonah Smith slid a perfectly weighted through ball to Andy Holden, who dummied the keeper and slotted home.

Lower Hopton pulled a goal back after 33 minutes when a corner to the far post was superbly headed home by Tom Hague.

But the three-goal lead was re-established after 43 minutes when Smith launched a huge throw-in which was flicked into the path of Briggs, who notched his second.

In the dying seconds of the first half, the visitors were awarded a penalty after Pearson was judged to have tripped an opponent. But Mash preserved Steeton's advantage with a spectacular diving save, which saw him push the ball into the air and then grasp it.

The visitors did reduce the deficit after 62 minutes when a long free-kick was nodded over Mash by Adam Stephenson.

However, four minutes later, after a long scramble in the goalmouth following a corner, Briggs fired through a crowd of players to register his third goal of the game and eighth of the season.

With 15 minutes to go, the icing was put on the cake when Briggs flicked the ball through to Clarkson, who beat the offside trap and blasted into the roof of the net past Travers to complete the rout.

Midfield duo Joe Flaherty and Tim Hird, who had both worked tirelessly, were replaced by Ben Richardson and Jake Scott. Richardson was playing his first first-team game of the season having suffered a serious injury in February, while Scott was making his debut.

In the final minute a third penalty was awarded after a cross by Elliott Scott was handled but Rhodes' effort was this time saved by Travers.

Steeton boss Roy Mason said: β€œIt was the perfect response from our last game at Lepton (a 2-2 draw).

"I thought that we looked a lot brighter in the final third and we were much more competitive. It was the perfect tonic to take us into this week's County Cup game at Knaresborough.”

Saturday's hosts are eighth in the West Yorkshire League Premier Division.

Steeton: Mash, Rhodes (c), E Scott, Rooke, Pearson (Morgan), Hird, (J Scott), Holden, Smith, Clarkson, Briggs, Flaherty (Richardson).

*Steeton Reserves triumphed 6-1 at Overthorpe as Will Knight grabbed a hat-trick and Sam Fox, Mark McGee and Brannan Lawn also found the target.