FC St Helens continued their rich vein of form, by resoundingly beating Prestwich Heys on away soil — thanks to a goal from CJ Spiers and a Joe Barker brace, writes Liam McDermott.

It was the hosts that made the brighter start, but they couldn’t manufacture any significant openings — thanks to the defensive endeavours of the reliable Mike Ibeto.

And Ibeto’s great defensive work would be rewarded after a quarter-of-an-hour.

Spiers is enjoying a great season and made it two goals in a week, owing much to his involvement in some neat interplay with Barker and Josh Hall — before displaying the desired composure to slot into the back of the net.

Spiers would be involved in another of the encounter’s notable flashpoints.

The lively winger raced towards goal for what would almost certainly have been his second goal of the afternoon — only to be recklessly hacked down by Edward Schryburt.

With the defender having already been booked, just a few moments before, he didn’t give the man in black any other option but to give him his marching orders.

That left Prestwich Heys with an uphill battle, with little over 20 minutes played, and it would grow increasingly difficult.

FC St Helens consistently undid the backline of the home side and were thoroughly rewarded, once again.

Barker has established himself as quite the goalscorer in his time with the club and had yet another to his name.

Following a short period on the sidelines, due to injury, the returning Hall played a key role in his strike partner’s first of the afternoon — manoeuvring brilliantly, before crossing for an unmissable headed opportunity.

With that, The Stripes were singing in the rain on an afternoon of typical British winter conditions and their scoring exploits weren’t fulfilled, just yet.

The other side of the break saw Hall pursuing a goal of his own, only to stab marginally wide — but that missed opportunity would be inconsequential, as they advanced further.

Ibeto’s great defensive performance further reaped its rewards — with him winning a header, before Barker’s exceptional movement resulted in him dispatching yet another goal to his ever-growing tally.

With that, The Stripes could afford to take their foot off the gas, to a degree. And their impressive display of possession-based football very nearly resulted in a fourth.

Newcomer, Liam Paton, very nearly made the perfect impact — having arrived from the bench — but his neat finish, just a minute after being brought on, was overruled by the offside flag.

And, although The Stripes didn’t intend to rest on their laurels, they were almost hit by a setback as their hosts continued to battle — but goalkeeper Joe Mason was on hand to ensure that his side's clean sheet remained intact.

A perfect exhibition in linkup play was displayed, throughout the afternoon, by Michael Smith’s side and the icing on the cake would have been a goal from Liam Houghton.

The experienced midfielder has been exceptional, following his return from a long-term injury, as was displayed throughout the match, and he will have been slightly frustrated to have struck the post — having met an inviting cross.

However, all associated with FC St Helens will be satisfied with their fantastic performance being rewarded by a comprehensive victory.

With three wins in succession to their name, they might just be back to their best.