Boston United return to winning ways in emphatic fashion as strkers write themselves into club history

Not since 2002 had a player scored four goals in a single match for United - and two had not scored hat-tricks in the same game since 1967.

Mooney notched four times, with Knowles completing a late hat-trick, as the Pilgrims blew Gloucester City away, despite replies from Tyrone Duffus, Theo Robinson and Ben Beresford.

United first team coach Joe Simpson was keen to keep the result in perspective.

“We’re pleased to win and perform well,” he said. “It was more like us and a good result. We tick it off and move on.

“We know the task at hand and what we need to do. If we perform well we can score goals and match anyone in this division.

“When you lose a couple of games the world can fall in, but we have to focus on the next game. Today was a lot more like what we need to be, in terms of where we want to be, we will take that.

“I am pleased for both the strikers, they were clinical in what they did. It doesn’t matter who scored as long as it ends in the back of the net.

“We wanted to respond from last Saturday. Today was about getting a result and it isn't an easy thing to do coming here. It's a really pleasing result, but it’s about the next game.”

United, showing two changes to the side beaten last time out by Spennymoor Town, were rampant from the off and led inside three minutes when Knowles swivelled to fire home a low effort from Jai Rowe's right-wing cross. Knowles turned provider eight minutes later for Mooney to roll home United's second from close-range.

Individual brilliance from Bromley loanee Adam Marriott instigated the third goal on 24 minutes, with his sweeping ball out to Rowe leading to Mooney slamming home United's third with aplomb.

There was a brief response from City, with Duffus planting a firm header past Cameron Gregory following Branden Liggett's set-piece delivery, only for United to go straight down the other end and add their fourth when Mooney completed his treble after meeting Ethan Sephton's inviting ball from the left.

City cut the deficit back to two ahead of half-time, with Robinson poking the ball home from close-range after the Pilgrims had failed to clear another set-piece.

Marriott headed over the top from Sephton's cross after the break, with Mooney subsequently denied by the offside flag, before alarm bells were momentarily ringing for the Pilgrims in the 61st minute when Beresford reduced the arrears even further with a scruffy third goal for the hosts.

It took United 10 minutes to add their fifth and finally kill off the hosts - with Knowles tapping home from close-range following Sephton's ball from the left.

Knowles fired another chance off target, while keeper Jared Thompson produced a big save to deny Keaton Ward, but Mooney added his fourth goal by glancing home Dylan Hill's cross from the right with 13 minutes left to play.

Lucien Mahovo made his United debut as a late substitute and United were queuing up by this point - with Knowles seemingly completing his hat-trick, only to be denied by a late offside flag.

He was not to be denied though and Michael Gyasi's cross-shot in the third minute of added time was bundled across the line by a combination of Kknowles and home sub Harlain Mbayo to complete a truly remarkable afternoon in Gloucestershire.