Daisy Hill 1-4 Cheadle Town

It hasn't been a bad Easter at all, has it?

Despite having to play three matches in the space of six days we have come out of it with the cleanest bill of health: maximum points.

The play-offs died on us long ago but the aim thereafter was always to finish the season as strongly as we possibly could; and we're certainly doing alright thus far on that front.

Daisy Hill got within coughing distance of us in the latter third of the first half of this match but, if truth be told, we never looked in that much danger of being silly, out-Cheadling ourselves and throwing away a good position; two goals within the first four minutes of the second half killed this match - in our favour - stone dead.

We've not had many strikers to burst the 20-goal threshold of late - only the names Ben Brookes and Nathan Neequaye spring to mind - so step forward, into the (deserved) limelight Rhys Webb, who reached 23 goals in all competitions in netting a hat-trick.

Being the occasionally awkward soul that he is, Matt German made Rhys wait for his moment, netting the first of the night on the 8th minute by meeting George Blackwell's corner with the fiercest of headers.

Another header on goal surfaced on 15 minutes, this time from the pate of Chris Sherrington but his downwards effort bounced harmlessly over the bar.

Two minutes later Rhys was in on goal but unfortunately got his bearings all wrong and shot hopelessly wide. He was to get it right just before the half-hour mark.

Latching onto a neat through ball from Chris Sherrington, he advanced on goal and coolly swept home to double our advantage.

We then switched off a little and allowed the hosts a foothold in the match.

Luke Pearson had already cleared an effort off the line in last-ditch style before Daniel Gregory punished us with a neat finish off the post on 33 minutes to give us something to think about.

We thought that Thab Magida had restored our two-goal advantage on 39 minutes after he had rounded the 'keeper and rolled it goalbound but he was denied by a world-class clearance off the line.

Luke Hincks then saw a fierce drive gathered well by the keeper before Magida shovelled the ball over the bar from close range after connecting with a teasing Matt Todd cross from the right.

Any soreness from missing those gilt-edged chances didn't last long after the restart as we netted twice in the opening four minutes.

Virtually straight from the kick-off Rhys Webb seized on some hesitancy in the Daisy defence to latch onto a loose ball and have all the time in the world to stab it past the oncoming keeper.

Three minutes later and he was on the end of a diagonal lofted ball from the right, lobbing it over the keeper to give us a commanding 4-1 lead.

One player who was desperately unlucky not to get onto the scoresheet was George Blackwell. Three mazy runs into the box after the hour mark went undeservedly unrewarded and, to add to the ill fortune, he was injured in his third attempt and forced off with an sprained wrist.

Substitute Mike Sherrington had two excellent chances to add more polish to the scoreline, seeing one effort hacked off the line and then firing straight at the keeper when clean through with James Dunn then screwing the ball inches wide of the post in injury time when in a decent position in the box.

Just two to go. Two. Where has the time gone...? Atherton LR visit Park Road for our last home match this Saturday.

TEAM: Smith, Todd, Banda, German, Tongue, Pearson, Hincks, C Sherrington, Webb (Dunn), Magida (Burton), Blackwell (M Sherrington). SUBS: McIlwaine, Burton, Christopher, M Sherrington.