Lancaster City 4, Bradford Park Avenue 0 - Second-placed Lancaster City kept the pressure on UniBond Premier Division leaders Burton Albion with a resounding 4-0 victory over Bradford Park Avenue on Saturday to bring the visitors back down to earth.

Avenue had been buoyant following a 2-1 win over Yorkshire-rivals Emley in midweek - a result which had lifted the Bradford side out of the bottom three - but they had their fingers burned at the Red Rose County seat.

It was always going to be a difficult mission over the border for Avenue, Lancaster are the only unbeaten side in the UniBond this season, but the manner of the display left assistant manager Ian Thompson numb.

"Gutless, that is the only way to describe our performance," he said in bitter disappointment at what he had witnessed.

"We were very poor, defensively shocking. Until Trevor and I sort out the problems we are having at the back we are going nowhere. We created as many chances as they did and got beat 4-0, that says it all.

"Lancaster are a good side and their results this term reflect that but we can't be going to top sides like that and defending so badly. We created seven or eight scoring opportunities and got nothing, they made six chances and stuck four away."

With basement club Hyde United not in action and Bamber Bridge losing, Avenue have not lost much ground. But they are now back in the bottom three as it was fellow strugglers Frickley Athletic who beat Bamber Bridge and they leapfrogged the Bradford club.

The problems began early for Avenue at Lancaster with the home side taking a fifth minute lead.

A throw-in gave City's centre back Farrell Kilbane chance to get forward and his shot from the six-yard line took a deflection off James Stansfield to beat keeper Craig Dootson.

Visiting striker Wael Nazha had the ball in the home net in the 12th minute but play was called back for offside and City responded when Brian Butler turned in a shot from 19 yards that hit the foot of Dootson's post.

Lancaster boast the UniBond League's leading scorer in Andy Whittaker and he doubled the home side's lead after 19 minutes when he converted a low centre from Kevin Holliday.

The contest was effectively over before the interval as City made it 3-0 in the 42nd minute. With Whittaker bearing down on his goal Dootson came off his line only to see the striker lay the ball to Colin Potts who swept it home from the edge of the six yard box.

Avenue's third substitution was made at the break but even though they were unfortunate not to register at least once, with chances for Wednesday's two-goal hero Dean Calcutt and Nazha going to waste, they were well beaten.

Whittaker took his season's tally to 18 when he rode a challenge from Keiron O'Brien to shoot past the forlorn Dootson just before the hour.