CHRIS Willcock was full of praise for ‘outstanding’ Ramsbottom United after seeing his side score five goals for the first second successive league game.

A Leon Scott own goal got them up and running while Nic Evangelinos scored twice with Tom Kennedy and Richard Baker both on target as the Rams climbed up to fifth place in the BetVictor Northern League North West Division with a 5-1 victory.

It was a third straight victory for Willcock’s side who are now unbeaten in four games to boost their play-off hopes.

The Rams went in to the clash on the back of last Tuesday’s 5-0 thumping of City of Liverpool but Marske United, with play-off ambitions of their own, should have offered a sterner test, having started the day two places and one point above their hosts.

But they had no answer to the Rams and apart from one blip – when they switched off from a corner to allow Marske back in to the game – Willcock was delighted.

“The performance was outstanding from start to finish,” he said.

“I thought in possession we looked very dangerous; at every opportunity we had the ball at our feet, but also out of possession as well.

“Apart from the corner where we really got sloppy and switched off and that gave them a bit of a foothold to regroup at half-time and come out and have a go

“But obviously scoring the two goals as quickly as we did just after half time, it killed the contest and we went on to comfortably win the game.”

The Rams took the lead in the 10th minute from the first corner of the afternoon. Kennedy took it from the right and after Baker headed the ball down and Scott turned the ball into his own net.

They doubled their lead on the half-hour mark when Evangelinos converted a cross from Iyrwah Gooden for his seventh goal in the last eight games.

But Marske pulled one back when United failed to deal with a corner and Andrew May headed home at the far post.

However, two goals in three minutes just after the restart put Ramsbottom back in control.

Kennedy tucked away a 46th-minute penalty after Reuben Jerome was brought down in the area before Baker fired into the top corner with a wonderful 30-yard effort.

Things went from bad to worse for the side from the north east as, on 64 minutes, striker Louis Johnson was sent off for violent conduct after an altercation with Rams’ centre-half Kelvin Lugsden.

The Rams had a couple more chances before scoring their fifth. Karl Jones fired just wide of the right post and Jerome drilled an effort across the face of the goal.

But in the final minute, a fifth goal did arrive when Evangelinos tucked the ball home at the back post after good work and a perfect low cross from Jones.

The Rams have another tough test when they travel to seventh-placed Tadcaster Albion on Saturday before making the short trip to neighbouring Colne the following Tuesday.