Steeton 4 Salts 0

STEETON produced their best performance of the season to gain revenge on Salts.

skipper Damien Whiteoak and defender Sam Rooke returned to the starting line up

The visitors had beaten the Chevrons 4-1 earlier in the season at Marley, their temporary home while their ground in Saltaire is redeveloped.

But Steeton dominated on this occasion against opponents turning out in unfamiliar blue and black shirts due to a problem with their usual yellow kit.

Due to the late arrival of referee James Ferguson, the kick-off was delayed by almost 40 minutes and both managers were concerned there would not be sufficient light to enable the game to be completed.

The hosts appeared to take the lead in the first minute when Lee Reilly smacked the ball home after fine work by Andy Holden but Ferguson ruled that Holden was offside when he received the ball.

Steeton were playing the ball about smartly and Tim Hird in midfield seemed to be back at his best after a recent illness.

After 13 minutes a Holden corner looked to be creeping in at the far post but was touched out by keeper Daniel Bailey. Holden went close again from the resulting corner before Salts' defender Joe Pleasance almost scored an own-goal under pressure from Graham Holmes when he inadvertently scooped the ball over his own bar.

Holmes was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with and was pulled to the ground by his shirt to earn Steeton a penalty. Despite missing the previous week's spot-kick, Lee Reilly showed no hesitation and smashed home to give the hosts a deserved lead.

The players did not leave the pitch during the interval in an effort to save time as the light was fading.

The second half was only a few minutes old when Holmes was put through in the inside-right channel by Hird and, after evading two tackles, he scored with an unstoppable low drive from the edge of the area.

Mark McGee went close before Holmes grabbed his second. A quickly-taken free-kick by Damien Whiteoak rebounded off a defender and into the path of the striker, who curled a shot in off the far post.

Steeton were now in complete control and, after 74 minutes, manager Roy Mason felt confident enough to give Josh Huntley a first-team debut when he came on to replace Reilly. Within two minutes of this substitution some sparkling interplay between Michael Rhodes and Holden led to the latter putting over a cross which Holmes volleyed into the roof of the net to complete a superb hat-trick.

With the light fading badly, Ferguson blew the final whistle with five minutes still on the clock, leaving Steeton boss Roy Mason to reflect: "This was by far and away our best performance of the season. Our work rate, passing and pressing didn't give Salts the opportunity to get a foothold into the game."

Steeton face Salts again this Saturday in the West Riding County FA Challenge Cup at Marley (1pm).

Steeton: Brooksbank, Rhodes, Park, Barnes, Rooke, Whiteoak (Sutcliffe), Holden (Metcalfe), Hird, Reilly (Huntley), Holmes, McGee.