Vauxhall Motors 6, Bradford Park Avenue 2: Bradford Park Avenue were on course for a victory at half-time but they threw away their chances of upsetting one of the six teams who finished above them in last season's UniBond Premier Division table.

Vauxhall Motors ran in six second-half goals without reply as Avenue folded following a first-half performance that had the Merseysiders on the rack and the Bradford boss purring.

"If I say we were like Real Madrid in the first half I'm pushing the boat out a bit but not by much," said stunned Trevor Storton.

"We passed it about from front to back, created loads of chances, scored two goals and didn't let them into the game. It was the best we have played in my seven years at the club.

"I couldn't have asked for a better performance, we were magnificent. Then in the second half we sat back and invited them onto us. It was our own doing, I can't put into words the transformation that happened."

Avenue were carving their way through the home defence at will early on and took an overdue lead in the 30th minute. Crisp passing involving Jason Maxwell and Steve Oleksewycz presented Danny Walsh with a shooting chance and he accepted the invitation.

More fluent moves followed and in the 37th minute a sweeping attack saw Andy Quinn overlapping and his precise cross, met by a header from Andy Hayward, brought the second goal.

Vauxhall chipped away from the beginning of the second period and were soon on terms. Terry Fearns headed in the first and in the 57th minute Peter Cumiskey drove in a low shot.

Cumiskey netted to put the Motormen side in front before Carl Nesbitt hit the fourth. Fearns completed his hat-trick with two goals in the last eight minutes to leave Avenue high and dry on the banks of the Mersey.

"I thought their fist goal was a definite handball and the linesman was just two yards away and didn't give it. We had a stonewall penalty over-ruled when Simon Collins was brought down in the area and then they scraped another one to make it 2-2," added Storton.

"They were fortunate to get back in it like that but we just collapsed then. The concentration wasn't there from our players.

"There is no explanation or excuse for that. Our back four could have stepped up and cut their supply lines off but they didn't. This time I will give them the benefit of the doubt but only this time.