Enniskillen Rangers 8 Enniskillen Athletic 0

Enniskillen Rangers put eight goals past neighbours Enniskillen Athletic as Michael Kerr’s side remained top of the Mercer League following Saturday’s emphatic win.

The brilliant Joel Byrne bagged a hat-trick for the ‘Gers and with Mark Cutler (2), Jordan McClure, Jason Cluff and Ciaran Smith all getting among the goals it was a good afternoon for Kerr.

“It was another three points, which was what we targeted, but we are delighted to have scored eight goals and kept a clean sheet and I was very pleased with the appetite of the boys.

“We’ve built a bit of momentum now but it is a long season and you don’t win anything in October or November.

“We will be hoping now to keep it going to Christmas and then take it from there,” said Kerr.

Athletic manager Darren Rodgers felt it was just one of those days for his side.

“It was just one of those days where nothing went right,” he said.

“We could have been a couple of goals up in the first 15 minutes but then we gave away a few goals on the break and it was game over as we were second best the rest of the game.

“Rangers are a good side and are very strong at the Ball Range, and will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season,” he said.

It was Athletic though who had started the brighter of the sides and it required two fine saves by Rangers goalkeeper Joel Peden to deny Lorcan McStravick and Conor Love in the opening ten minutes.

Having come through that early scare though Rangers soon settled to the task as they took control of matters and with 16 minutes played they broke the deadlock.

From an Athletic corner, Rangers broke with Nathan Khan finding Byrne on the halfway line. The attacker then left the defence for dead as he raced in and finished with aplomb to give the home side the lead.

It was two just after the half-hour mark as Cutler headed home from a Khan corner and soon after Byrne made it 3-0 as sidefooted home following a good move involving Jamie Robinson, Connor Rippey and Ciaran Smith.

And Byrne completed his hat-trick before the break as he drove forward and produced a cracking finish to leave it 4-0 at the interval.

The fifth arrived early in the second half as Mark White fed Cutler and after a one-two with Byrne he fired home off the far post.

Jordan McClure netted number six as he headed home from a Khan corner before Cluff got in on the scoring act as he finished off at the second attempt after another fine move by Rangers.

And captain Ciaran Smith rounded off the scoring when he fired home from the edge of the box in the 89th minute to seal a convincing victory for the league leaders.

Rangers have no game this week before the Junior Cup next week, while Athletic are at home to Castlederg United on Saturday.