ST HELENS Town met Sandbach for the second time in just over a month in an away fixture at Sandbach soccer centre, a venue that Town were defeated at last year.

That defeat arguably derailed Town's promotion hopes last season but that would not be the case the time with the visitors posting an emphatic 4-1 win.

With a strong wind behind the blues in the first half, goalkeeper Lewis Jenkinson would get his first assist of the season when his long punt was latched onto by Ryan Cook, the striker netting his third goal in the last five games with a tidy finish.

Within a few minutes, Town would go two up as Chris Foster would bring Gibson's corner down on his chest and finish neatly.

But Foster was not finished there, two minutes before halftime he would notice the Sandbach keeper off his line and strike the ball from 55 yards out.

As the ball sailed into the top right hand corner the visiting supporters were already discussing whether they had just seen Town's goal of the season.

Town were 3-0 up and apparently coasting but the half would not end there as Sandbach won a penalty on the stroke of halftime and Tim Lamb would convert it calmly to make it 3-1.

With the wind in Sandbach's favour the second half saw the home team trouble Town early with some direct play.

Town were now on the back foot.

But Manager Paul Piert's decision to bring on the experienced Dale Whitehead and employ two holding midfielders with Whitehead alongside Scott Williams would prove fruitful.

In fact Williams would be named man of the match and he epitomised the game management that Town displayed to quell the Sandbach fightback.

As the half wore on, Town would begin to reassert dominance and would get a fourth goal when hard workng youngster Charlie Simpson would be first to react in the Sandbach area to poke the ball into the net.

This was important win for Town and that fact was compounded when results from around the league started to filter through.

With news that fellow unbeaten promotion hopefuls Lymm Rovers had lost at Wigan Town, Town now sit five points clear at the top of the table and remain the only undefeated team in the entire Cheshire league.

Town now take a break from league action with games in the Liverpool County cup and Cheshire league cup ahead.