EVESHAM United joined Alvechurch in the semi-finals of the Worcestershire Senior Cup after easing past struggling Redditch United 6-1 on Monday.
The Southern Premier Central Reds may be a level higher than the Robins but it does not appear to be for long given they have lost 11 league games in a row and have conceded 19 goals in their last three matches in all competitions.
Redditch are rock-bottom of the pile and their young side containing many academy players proved no match for an Evesham team keen to bounce back from Saturday’s 3-1 Southern League Division One South defeat at Moneyfields, where Adam Page’s 37th-minute goal proved no answer to a hat-trick from Stephen Hutchings.
The Robins’ cup heroes were Paul Sullivan and Lee Chilton who both bagged hat-tricks, with Sullivan opening the scoring on 16 minutes with a neat turn and shot from the edge of the area.
Visitors Redditch were not without chances of their own in an even opening period to the game but they lacked a clinical edge and it was 2-0 on 27 minutes when a fine move ended with the impressive Harry Franklin crossing for Sullivan to head home at the back post.
Sullivan’s treble was completed four minutes later when his right-footed strike from 18 yards found the bottom corner, but Redditch gave themselves hope with Jamie Lucas’ close-range finish soon afterwards.
However, there was still time for Chilton to make it 4-1 before the break when he struck from 20 yards.
Both sides continued to play open, attacking football after half-time and Redditch forced Jonathan Brown into a fingertip save on to the post before Chilton curled his second goal of the game into the bottom corner.
In the dying moments Chilton completed his hat-trick with a fine individual effort to leave Evesham in good heart as they bid to get their play-off push back on track at home to lowly Basingstoke Town on Saturday.
Defender Henry Eze, who started in midweek, is in line for a league debut for United following his recent switch from Northern Premier League Division One South East side Loughborough Dynamo.