Atherstone Town picked up their most impressive win of the season so far as they thrashed Stone Old Alleynians 6-0 away from home on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Jack Wells, Lewis Collins and Ryan Quinn had the Adders three up and cruising at the break in a game against one of their direct league rivals.

Collins added another in the second half alongside strikes from Mitch Woakes and Jacob Shilton to complete the route in an excellent performance.

Next up for Atherstone is another fixture against a play off rival with Shifnal Town visiting Sheepy Road on Saturday 7th December.

Atherstone went into Saturdays game away at Stone off the back of a crazy 6-3 derby win over Nuneaton Griff during the week. For the trip to Stone, who sat one place above the Adders before the match, Mitch Thomsons side would need to display similar attacking prowess with more defensive control.

The performance that Atherstone turned in this match was one of the best since Thomson and his staff took the reins, completely nullifying the hosts and showing a ruthless streak in front of goal. The games opening goal arrived after just two minutes, as a Chris Cowley free kick was headed onto the bar by Lewis Collins, with the rebound falling straight to Jack Wells to tuck home at close range.

Just over ten minutes later the Adders were handed the opportunity to make it two, as they were awarded in indirect free kick. A routine was worked that saw the ball rolled for Collins who lashed a fierce effort home off the left post.

Stone were stunned and had no answer to the questions that Atherstone forwards were posing. Attempts at a response came in the form of set pieces that were handled expertly by the back line and did little to trouble Finn Osborn.

The Adders midfield was in complete control, and effectively ended the match as a contest before the half hour mark. Cowley burst out of midfield after a rare piece of defending and tried his luck from range, which cannoned off Ryan Quinn and looped into the back of the net to make it three.

Not content with their lead, Atherstone kept coming forward with Collins forcing a good save from the Stone keeper before the half time whistle could sound. The travelling Adders faithful could scarcely believe what they had seen, in what many predicted would be a close encounter.

The second half continued in the same vein as the first, with Atherstone in control of the ball and Sone frustrated by their lack of opportunities created. Osborn was forced into one save from a free kick, in what was otherwise a quiet afternoon.

The goalscoring began again as Collins charged down the Stone keeper, blocked the attempted clearance before slotting the ball home into an empty net. The goal was Collins 13th of the season, in what is turning into a stellar campaign for the forward.

Mitch Woakes gave the hosts defenders constant head aches with his movement off the ball, and was rewarded for his hard work with the fifth goal. Woakes controlled a long ball forward before taking on a couple of men and firing a shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

It was a fine goal to match his fine performance, and Woakes was involved in the build up to the sixth and final goal, with the ball being worked down his side before being played into the middle. Jacob Shilton was the man on hand to eventually turn home, scoring a sixth goal in injury time for the second time this week.

The fantastic performance and result saw the Adders leapfrog their opponents into sixth place in the table, with plenty of games still in hand on those around them. Just outside the play off places and with fixtures against their closest rivals on the horizon, December is shaping up to be a big month for Atherstone.

Next up is a home game against Shifnal Town who are currently fourth in the table, on Saturday 7th December. That will be followed by a trip to take on Romulus on the 14th, as we enter the hectic and important festive period.