SILSDEN’S return to winning ways last week proved to be a flash in the pan as they were thrashed 7-0 at home by promotion rivals Bootle.

The visitors - who were immediately above the Cobbydalers in the North West Counties League Premier Division on goal difference only before the game - took a while to open the scoring.

Ryan Cox broke the deadlock in then 25th minute and Sean Coulton added 11 minutes later.

It was into the second half when the game got away from the hosts.

Just three minutes into the second period, Carl Pears added the Merseyside club’s third and Cox had bagged his brace by the hour mark.

Michael Ordish made it 5-0 before Pears bagged his brace and the scoring was completed three minutes from time by Jack Goodwin.

There was better news in division one north as Steeton returned from basement outfit Atherton LR with a three-point maximum from a 3-0 win courtesy of an Andy Briggs hat-trick.

A long through ball from Stevie Pearson allowed Briggs to slip the offside trap as he broke the deadlock in the eighth minute. He then converted a Toby Jeffrey cross midway through the first half to double the Chevrons’ lead.

They had two strikes ruled out for offside before the break and the home side hit the woodwork twice in the second half but Briggs made the points safe when he capitalised on a defensive error minutes from time.