Toolstation Northern Counties East League Division One: Eccleshill United 9 FC Bolsover 0

ECCLESHILL United threw down the gauntlet to their promotion-chasing rivals last night with an emphatic home win over strugglers FC Bolsover in Toolstation Northern Counties East League Division One.

There was a first-half hat-trick for Luke Harrop, and Antony Brown was not to be outshone as he netted a second-half treble in the Eagles’ demolition of third-from-bottom Bolsover.

It was Sean Regan’s Eagles’ penultimate game of the season, and the win lifted them back up to second place and into the second automatic promotion place.

However, despite their landslide victory, Eccleshill still face a battle to earn promotion without having the angst of the play-offs.

There could have been no stronger message from the Eagles last night as they emerged from a goalless 28 minutes to go into the break 5-0 up.

Harrop opened the scoring when he tapped in Charlie Flaherty’s ball across the face of goal.

He netted his second and third in a three-minute spell soon after, before Eccleshill skipper Sam Bradley added the Eagles’ fourth.

On the stroke of half-time, Harrop bagged his fourth, when he was set up by Brown.

Brown took over after the interval as he rattled in a brace between the 50th and 60th minutes before Matt Mathers headed home Andy Cooper’s 70th-minute corner to make it eight.

Brown claimed his hat-trick soon after when the big striker netted a wonderful solo strike to wrap up a huge win that will boost the Eagles’ confidence ahead of their final game of the season.

Regan’s men face what could be a defining game on Monday when they host fourth-placed Yorkshire Amateur, who play their penultimate game tonight at home against East Yorkshire Carnegie.