Squires Gate 2 Irlam 5: First-half goal blitz sinks Gate

Winger Marcus Perry struck a hat-trick in the first 28 minutes to shock Andy Clarkson’s side ,who had plenty of possession but couldn’t test the keeper.

Matthew Boland then added a fourth goal in similar fashion as Gate were blown away by half-time.

The second half brought a vast improvement from Gate, though keeper Ben Fletcher had to be alert soon after the restart, making two excellent one-on-one saves.

Clarkson made a double change 10 minutes into the second half and the substitutes soon made an impact.

Brett Dawson had the confidence to fire first time after he had only been on the pitch four minutes and pulled one back just before the hour.

Fellow sub Joey Mullen came close to adding another for Gate with a fierce strike from outside the box which was well saved

However, the visitors added a fifth goal in the 76th minute, Jordan Buckley showing his strength to hold off his man before turning and firing past Fletcher.

Dawson grabbed his second a minute later with a long-range strike. The win sees Irlam overtake Gate, who slip to 13th in the table.

Gate take a break from league action this weekend when they travel to Oldham to face Avro in the FA Vase.

Gate: Fletcher, Gray, Richards, Bamba, Sumner, Ing, Booth, Charnley, Seear, Egidi, Riley. Subs: Mullen, Dawson, Mututu, Salthouse.