Toolstation NCEL Division One
Hall Road Rangers 8-0 Nostell Miners Welfare
Action from Hall Road Rangers 8-0 Nostell Miners Welfare. Picture: Lee Myers
Hall Road’s automatic promotion hopes are back in their hands with just two games remaining, after a very easy win over Nostell Welfare Miners in their final home league match of the season.
A first-half hat-trick from in-form midfielder Joe Cooper helped the hosts into a 6-0 half-time lead, with new signing Jamie Coulson also bagging a brace in the win.
A loss for promotion rivals Pontefract meant that automatic promotion is back in Rangers hands as they move up to 2nd in the NCEL Division One. Should they win their final two games of the season away at Rossington Main and Campion, Rangers will be promoted as Champions.
The hosts began at pace with captain Ash Dexter having a shot tipped onto the bar by the Nostell keeper in just the 4th minute. However, just 10 minutes later he scored the first goal of the afternoon with a smart header; his 10th goal of the season.
Rangers’ doubled their lead three minutes later with Coulson firing home, before a brilliant strike from Joe Cooper made it 3-0 within 25 minutes. Hall Road were in complete control against the South Yorkshire outfit, who didn’t have a real shot on target of Phil Dobson’s goal throughout the contest.
Craig Muirhead’s sensational strike from the corner of the box made it 4-0 before the half hour mark, but Cooper would better that with a 30 yard effort to make it 5-0 just minutes later.
Cooper finished his 13 minutes hat-trick 10 minutes before the break from the penalty spot, with Rangers taking a 6-0 lead into the break. The only disappointment of the half being Jake Vernon missing a clear cut chance form six yards out.
The game was over before the second-half begun, emphasised by the fact Cooper and teammate Tom Bennett would spend the rest of the match in the stand, rested for the games to come. They were replaced by club top-scorer Chris Spinks and new-signing Joel Drewery.
And it was Spinks who continued the route just two minutes after the restart, scoring a 7th goal of the afternoon from the penalty spot.
Muirhead’s effort rattled the bar looking for an eighth, but Coulson instead would find it completing the scoring.