Ely City 7 Rothwell Corinthians 1

A HAT-TRICK from Richard Gammon capped a superlative performance from Ely City on Saturday.

After a relatively flat first half, Ely shifted through the gears during the second period, running in six goals, including three from Gammon, who was only introduced into the fray after an injury to Dave Smith.

The win saw Ely progress to the first preliminary round, where they will travel to Bugbrooke St Michael, in Northamptonshire, on August 25.

An excellent start from Ely saw them move into the lead with the first real chance of the match, Andrew Claydon laying into the path of Lewis Thompson, who drilled home from 10 yards.

A shot from Josh Curry was well saved by the Rothwell keeper just minutes later and Richard Chadwick saw a shot cleared off the line as Ely remained in control but they were unable to add to their score in the remainder of the half.

A stern word or two from boss Alan Alsop worked wonders for Ely after the break and they extended their lead just eight minutes in as Gammon beat his marker at the front post to nod home a Luke Parkinson corner.

Parkinson was at the heart of the action again just five minutes later, breaking down the wing and crossing low for Gammon to steal in and head home from five yards.

Claydon clattered the bar with a blasted shot from close range before Rothwell pulled a goal back in the 30th minute with a superb header from a corner.

The visitors brief rally was quickly crushed though as Adam Murray deflected home a corner less than five minutes later.

Rothwell seemed to wilt following Murray’s goal and the Robins began to open them up at will, with Parkinson marauding down the wing once more to cross for Richard Chadwick to apply a finish from 10 yards.

The goal of the day, and potentially the season, came with just three minutes left as Gammon watched a high ball on to his foot and crashed a volley home from fully 30 yards to complete his hat-trick.

The final goal was a cruel blow for the plucky visitors, a goal-mouth scramble being turned into his own net by a Rothwell defender.