Saturday's Blue Square North wrap

A first-half hat-trick from Jean-Paul Marna helped league leaders Kettering to a 5-2 romping of Hinckley in what was another exciting Saturday afternoon on Blue Square North football.

Alfreton Town 0-0 Barrow

Alfreton Town and Barrow could not find a winning goal between them as they played out a goalless draw at North Street on Saturday afternoon.

Both side's tried their luck in both halves, but some spirited goalkeeping kept both attacking units at bay.

The result keeps both side's locked in mid-table, level on 37 points.

Blyth Spartans 1-0 Southport

Blyth Spartans left it late to see off the challenge of Southport at Croft Park on Saturday afternoon.

The first-half was a mixed affair for both side's as half-chances and near-misses kept the scores level until the break.

The breakthrough finally came for the home side with six minutes left on the clock.

Chris McCabe was the man credited with the goal after some impressive passing in midfield from the hosts.

The visitors rallied in the final few minutes, but they lacked the necessary quality in the final third to create a meaningful chance.

Boston United 2-1 AFC Telford

A goal either side of half-time helped Boston claim a valuable three-points against a spirited Telford side at the Staffsmart Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The home side opened the scoring in the 39th minute when Paul Ellender found the back of the net.

Jon Stevenson made it 2-0 on 47 minutes after some impressive play from the Pilgrims' midfield.

Lee Moore handed the visiting side a glimmer of hope in the 69th minute, but his strike was never going to be enough as the home side shut up shop and cruised to victory.

Burscough 2-0 Nuneaton

Burscough saw off the challenge of Nuneaton Borough with a masterclass performance at Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon.

Brian Moogan capped off a wonderful first 30 minutes for the home side when he found the back of the net from 12 yards out.

The home side continued to dominate in the second-half and when Ciaran Kilheeny netted from the penalty spot it was all over for the visiting outfit.

Harrogate Town 2-0 Stalybridge

Harrogate Town continued their charge towards the top of the table with a well-earned victory over Stalybridge Celtic at Wetherby Avenue on Saturday afternoon.

The home side started brightly and took a deserved lead in the 18th minute.

Tony Hackworth was the man credited with the goal after some impressive play from the hosts.

The home side continued to dominate the game and were rewarded again shortly after half-time when Mark Hume netted from close range.

The visitors had no response to the hosts' dominance and were lucky to finish the game just two goals down.

Hyde United 1-1 Leigh RMI

Hyde United and Leigh RMI could not be separated on Saturday afternoon as they played out a 1-1 draw at Tameside Stadium.

Mark Smyth broke the deadlock for the visitors in the 40th minute, but the home side hit back instantly when Steven Pickford equalised on 43 minutes.

The second-half was a rather dull affair compared to that of the first, with both side's seemingly happy to take a share of the spoils.

Kettering 5-2 Hinckley

A first-half hat-trick from Jean-Paul Marna helped Blue Square North leaders Kettering to a 5-2 romping of Hinckley on Saturday afternoon.

Marna scored in the 10th, 15th and 29th minutes to put the home side 3-0 up inside 30 minutes.

Christopher Beardsley added a fourth in the 39th minute before Gez Murphy pulled one back for the visitors.

Murphy made it 4-2 shortly after half-time, but Brett Solkhon put the icing on the cake in the 73rd minute when he scored the home side's fifth from close range.

Town could have added to their goal tally for the afternoon had they been a little more cynical in front of goal, but the five goals were more than enough to see off United.

Redditch United 1-0 Gainsborough

Gainsborough will live to rue their missed chances after their defeat at Redditch United on Saturday afternoon.

The visiting side had the best chances in the first-half, but they could not make any of them count before the break.

Chris Murphy's goal in the 55th minute for the home side was a blow for the visiting side and it told as they seemed to switch off, almost accepting defeat with more than 30 minutes left on the clock.

Solihull Moors 1-1 Vauxhall Motors

Solihull Moors and Vauxhall Motors took a share of the spoils from their encounter on Saturday afternoon.

Lee Ayres put the home side ahead on 32 minutes, somewhat against the run of play.

The visiting side had the better of the first-half, but could not fashion a meaningful goalmouth chance to back up their slight dominance.

Their impressive play did pay-off, however, when Keith Smith capitilised on some poor defending to level the scores on 50 minutes.

After the equaliser, the match lost its early tempo, with both side's seemingly keen on earning a point rather than going for all three.

Worcester City 0-1 Hucknall

A single second-half goal was enough for Hucknall to claim the three-points against Worcester City at St Georges Lane on Saturday afternoon.

The first-half was an occasion to forget as both side's looked lethargic in possession and could not create a meaningful attack.

The breakthrough finally arrived for the visiting side as they pounced on some poor defending from the home team.

Daniel Bacon worked himself into space allowed by the home defence and finished with aplomb to hand his side the three-points.

Workington 5-0 Tamworth

A frantic opening 27 minutes helped Workington to an emphatic victory over Tamworth at Borough Park on Saturday afternoon.

Jonny Wright opened the scoring on five minutes, before Tony Hopper, Matther Berkeley (2) and David Hewson made it 5-0 after just 27 minutes.

The second-half did not live up to the quality of the first, with the home side happy to knock the ball around in midfield and the visitors looking like a beaten side.