THE margin of victory may flatter Winsford United, but they still deserved to progress in the Macron Cup on Monday.

Blues scored three goals inside the final five minutes against their Premier Division rivals, quickly putting behind them the disappointment of a weekend reverse at City of Liverpool.

The outcome was in doubt until substitute Danny Hudson applied the finishing touch to Scott Taylor’s cross following a lightning break.

Another replacement, Callam Gardner, then added gloss with two expertly-taken solo goals.

He danced past attempted tackles before sliding in a first goal on 89 minutes, then threaded a second out of West goalkeeper Steve Dryden’s reach following more clever footwork.

Earlier, there had been little to choose between the teams.

Winsford went close during the first-half when first Rhys Webb and then Ryan Hopper had shots blocked by a defender on the line.

Blues’ number one then Matthew Green breathed a sigh of relief midway through the opening period when Jack Sergeant’s lobbed attempt was cleared off the line by player-manager Lee Duckworth after he had fluffed an attempted clearance.

Taylor twice tried his luck from distance; his first attempt arcing inches wide before Dryden saved the second.

He was called into action again when Taylor attempted to break the deadlock, then denied Michael Koral from close-range when a goal seemed certain.

The home team broke through shortly after the interval when Koral blasted low into the net after reaching Hopper’s perfectly-weighted pass over West’s defence.

Ryan Steele blazed high with the goal at his mercy, and he was made to feel worse when Tom Bailey turned in Ben Steer’s cross to make it 1-1.

Blues restored their lead when Webb scored his first goal for the club from Taylor’s assist but West, beaten in seven of their previous eight matches, refused to wilt.

Indeed, Matthew Kay went close with a header from Steer’s set-piece before the timely introduction of Hudson and Gardner helped Winsford to wrestle back the initiative.

Winsford | Green (GK), Fowles, Bircumshaw, Sherwood, Lee Duckworth, Foster, Taylor, Hopper, Koral, Webb (Hudson 75), Steele (Gardner 65) Subs not used Rothwell, Osborne (GK) Goals Koral 50, Webb 66, Hudson 87, Gardner 89, 90

West | Dryden (GK), Weston, Pritchard (Hilton 74), Hagon, Sergeant, Potts, Steer, Shaw (Tinker 57), Bailey, Kay, Woods (Whyment 79) Subs not used none Goal Bailey 64

Referee Ben Atkinson

Attendance 66

Match report by Bob Astles