A below strength Reserves side fell to their heaviest defeat of the season in a Lancashire League fixture against title chasing Fleetwood on Monday evening.

Steve Lee had to include four sixteen year olds in his line-up and, such was their depletion, they had to go into action without any substitutes.

It was a damage limitation job from the off and things seemed to be going reasonably well when Fleetwood were only one goal to the good at the forty minute mark.  They netted another before the break, though, and 2-0 quickly became 5-0 when they bagged three in the opening ten minutes of the second half.

Reds’ consolation goal came at that point when Sam Smith’s free kick struck the cross bar and debutant, Richard Hoban, reacted first to head home the rebound.

Town scored three more before the end to finish emphatic winners.

The return will be at Borough Park in a fortnight and Reds will be hoping to put on a better show on home soil.

Credit, though, to those who turned up tonight for what would have been an almost impossible task with a full strength squad.