BURSCOUGH 2, RADCLIFFE BORO 4: It was indeed a Good Friday for Boro as revenge for the Unibond Cup defeat earlier in this season and the play-off defeats at the end of last season were well and truly exacted at Victoria Park.

Leading the charge were the league's leading scorer Steve Foster and strike partner Ciaran Kilheeney, who, on this form will surely be challenging his team-mate for the scoring accolades next season.

Boro got off to a flying start as, with less than a minute gone, Foster punished some slack home defendiing to gain possession and lift the ball over Linnets' goalkeeper Newnes to give Boro the lead.

Kilheeney almost made it three inside five minutes, but was denied by the woodwork, as Burscough looked shell-shocked by the pressure Boro were exerting upon them.

The second goal finally arrived on eight minutes when the slightest of touches from

Kilheeney guided Craig Fleury's cross beyond the home keeper.

At 2-0 up, instead of sitting back Boro showed how hungry for goals they were, with Wilson, Kelly and Sampson joining Kilheeney and Foster in going close to stretching the lead.

Gedman pulled a goal back for the Linnets on the half-hour before Boro had two further opportnities to make the game safe, but the on-fire Kilheeney was denied on both occasions.

At the other end Andy Johnston, in for hernia victim Danny Hurst, foiled Matt Parry with a diving save to make sure Boro went into the break with the lead.

As expected Burscough looked to take control in the second half and Parry looked to have squared things only to be denied by a post, while Johnston twice denied Ryan Bowen.

But their plans were spoiled when Darren Royle rounded off an up-field gallop with a stinging shot that Newnes could only parry, and Kilheeney was Johnny-on-the-spot to force the ball into the net to give the Boro a 3-1 lead.

Ten minutes later Foster, not to be outdone by Kilheeney, hammered the final nail into the Linnets' coffin when his 25-yard free kick went in off a post, after Leon Grandison had terrified the Burscough defence.

The home side rescued some pride when Lee Dames converted Mark Byrne's cross late on, but it was too little too late, as Boro were by far the better side and thoroughly deserved to win by a bigger margin.

BORO: Johnston, Kelly, McGuire, Royle, Wilson, Sampson, Spencer, Forrest, Fleury, Foster, Kilheeney. Subs: Dolan (for Forrest, 82), O'Shaughnessy (for Fleury, 70), Grandison (for Kilheeney, 80).