Unibond First Division: CHORLEY...4 GATESHEAD...1

CHORLEY erased the memory of Saturday's shocker at Prescot in great style, cruising to a handsome victory with a little help from their hapless visitors.

The Tynesiders were one of the poorest teams seen at Victory Park this season and were ultimately swept aside by a rampant Chorley, whose winning margin could easily have been much greater.

Ben Cattenach surprised Paul Eatock early on with a lobbed angled shot which bounced on the bar but otherwise the deputy Chorley keeper had virtually nothing to do.

In the Magpies' first serious attack, Lee Clitheroe should have done better from David Eatock's pinpoint pass than hit the post from close range with all the goal to aim at. But home pressure was finally rewarded on 44 minutes when Eatock released Danny Mills and his low centre across the face of goal was turned into his own net by Cattenach.

A three-goal burst in 12 minutes after the interval put the match well beyond Gateshead.

Clitheroe's delightful curling shot on 51 minutes beat Gary Powell's dive and hit the post before rebounding over the line off the keeper's back.

Four minutes later, Andy Mason sent Lee Pryers away down the left and he beat Powell with a perfectly placed cross-shot.

Mason then planted a firm header just wide from Clitheroe's inviting centre before intercepting a poor clearance and finding Danny Queeley in acres of space for the youngster to finish with aplomb.

Volleys from Queeley and Jamie Vermiglio flashed narrowly wide as the Gateshead defence was repeatedly opened up by incisive approach play, but the Magpies' bid to keep a clean sheet was undone when former Burnley man Anthony Shandran pulled one back for the visitors with virtually the last kick of the game.

But this was a massive win for Chorley, with results elsewhere going their way, and if they can now take the confidence they are displaying at Victory Park into the series of away games coming up their prospects could soon be looking much better.