Barnoldswick Town 9 Earby Town 1

THE game was played in Burnley on an artificial pitch in an attempt to finally get the Morrison Cup quarter-final tie played after several postponements.

The opening few minutes were played out in a blizzard that at one time the spectators couldn’t see the far side of the pitch.

The surrendering of home advantage did not appear to affect the young Town side as they raced in to a 2-0 lead within the first 12 minutes with Bailey Coates scoring both their goal.

Teal Amos and Jonathan Davies added further goals in the 28th and 33rd minute respectively before Bailey Coates completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after he was upended by an Earby defender in the 38th minute

The victory and passage in to the next round was already secured.

All three substitutes were used at half-time and this temporarily disrupted what had been virtually one way traffic.

The tempo of Town’s game gradually returned and Coates made it 6-0 when he added his fourth goal in the 60th minute.

The best goal of the game was scored in the 75th minute when James Hughes smashed an unstoppable 30-yard shot past the Earby Town keeper Liam Green from outside the penalty area. Bobby Bell made it 8-0 after 80 minutes and double figures looked a certainty.

A consolation goal for the visitors by Tony Ashton followed a minute later as the effects of a bitterly cold afternoon took their toll on the Town defence who had been largely spectators for much of the game.

Coates ended a special afternoon for himself by scoring his fifth goal to make it 9-1 but Town were denied double figures when the Referee Willie Naylor ended the game after 85 minutes to put Earby Town out of their misery.