RAMSBOTTOM United enjoyed their second emphatic win in Merseyside in four days as they took apart high-flying Prescot Cables in a 4-0 win.

After a comfortable 3-0 victory against Skelmersdale at the weekend the Rams arrived looking for their fifth consecutive victory against a Prescot outfit who had won all five of their home league games this season.

The game began at a frantic pace and the hosts almost took a first-minute lead but leading scorer Chris Almond shot narrowly wide.

On nine minutes Ramsbottom opened the scoring when Nialle Rodney cut in from the right and unleashed an explosive effort that fizzed past Ben Barnes in the Cables goal for his fourth goal in five appearances.

The lead was almost doubled when Nic Evangelinos forced Barnes into an excellent flying save.

Ryan Ellison almost scored Rammy’s second but headed Tom Kennedy’s corner straight at Barnes.

Ramsbottom’s deserved second came five minutes before half time as Ruben Jerome flicked the ball into the path of Evangelinos who outpaced his marker and drilled a low shot underneath Barnes.

Perhaps predictably, the hosts began the second period with renewed vigour and won a series of corners, though the Rammy defence determinedly protected Sam Ashton.

Then came a sensational moment with the Rams’ third goal, coming from the unlikeliest of sources.

From midway in his own half Ashton thumped a free kick and with a strong wind behind it the ball flew over Ashton’s opposite number Barnes who was patrolling the edge of his box.

Bouncing over Barnes, Ahton’s shot flew into the net to put the Rams 3-0 up.

Before the crowd had caught their breath the fourth goal came.

On the right-hand channel the impressive Jamie Rother drilled a low effort beyond Barnes and into the corner to complete the scoring.

The remainder of the game saw Ashton called into more conventional action, making a couple of decent saves, including an acrobatic tip-over to preserve his clean sheet.

It was Rammy’s fifth win on the trot and their fourth consecutive clean sheet.

The Rams have hit the net 14 times in a seven-game unbeaten run under Chris Willcock.

Their weekend game at Skelmersdale United saw them run out 3-0 winners in a bad-tempered affair in which the hosts finished with 10 men.

Anthony Donaldson created the first goal midway through the first half, setting up Jerome for a fine strike.

Jerome’s second came from Evangelinos’ fine pass with little more than 20 minutes to go, and when sub Louis Rowe’s shot was parried by the Skem keeper, Evangelinos was on hand to seal victory with the third goal.

There was just enough time left for the hosts’ captain Phil Mooney to earn a second yellow card.