RAMSBOTTOM United suffered a heavy defeat in their penultimate pre-season game, losing 7-1 to a Pontefract Collieries side recently promoted to the Evo-Stik East Division.

The Rams got off to the worst possible start and fell behind with barely two minutes on the clock when a defensive mix up gave the unmarked Mikey Dunn a simple far-post tap-in.

Pontefract doubled their advantage before 10 minutes had been played, Jake Picton heading home a free kick past the diving Dean Ashton.

The visitors were struggling for any real fluency but got back into the game through Dom Marie.

A ball over the top of the Ponte defence allowed the pacey Marie to break the offside trap and confidently lift the ball over the onrushing keeper for his third goal in three games.

The hosts were looking the more threatening, however, and Ashton was forced into a fine save 10 minutes before the break.

Luke Jordan’s pace was proving a useful outlet for the Rams although the Ponte keeper was not really tested. And Hey restored the hosts’ two-goal advantage with a cool finish just before half time.

Five minutes after the restart the Rams presented their hosts with a fourth goal, Colls capitalising on Ashton’s sliced clearance with Vaughan Redford driving inside the post.

Rammy briefly flickered into life with Jordan again stretching the home defence and Jerome Wright finding Marie but he was denied from close range.

Pontefract’s fifth goal came when the impressive Hey controlled the ball well before letting fly with a shot that flew past Ashton for his second goal of the game with the defence in disarray.

As the game continued towards the final quarter of an hour both sides made a number of substitutions which seemed to benefit Pontefract more than the Rams.

Unfortunately for Mark Fell’s men the punishment was not quite finished as a long through ball again caught out the Rams’ backline and Redford lobbed the ball over a worryingly vulnerable Ashton to make the score 6-1 with just five minutes to go.

With almost the last kick of the match Pontefract put the finishing touch to Rammy’s miserable day with the seventh goal.

Adam Knight was the man completing the scoring with a low drive past Ashton and into the corner of the goal.

Shortly afterwards the referee blew the whistle to signal the end of a chastening defeat.

As the Rams made their way home even the most ardent United supporter would struggle to find any positives from their side’s performance.

Rammy play their final friendly at Lancaster City tomorrow night. Kick off is 7pm.