PNE retro game - when North End hit Chesterfield for six
Tony Philliskirk and Tony Ellis scored five of the six goals between them, as PNE boosted their play-off hopes.
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Hide AdEllis netted a hat-trick with Philliskirk getting off the mark for North End with two goals.
He had arrived a fortnight earlier in a £50,000 move from Oldham Athletic.
Mark Patterson was the other scorer on the day, the whole performance knitted together by Brian Mooney, who Chesterfield just could not cope with.
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Hide AdIt was North End’s biggest winning margin in a league game since May 1966, when they beat Cardiff 9-0.
The game was effectively all over inside 13 minutes as PNE raced into a 3-0 lead.
They were 4-0 to the good by half-time before putting the icing on the cake with two second-half goals.
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Hide AdPatterson and Bob Atkins had already gone close before North End took the lead in the fifth minute.
Mooney met a cross at the far post and headed it down into the middle.
Philliskirk met it with his back to goal, turning sharply to fire past Spireites keeper Mike Astbury.
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Hide AdHe doubled his tally, and the lead, in the eighth minute, tapping home from close range after Astbury could only parry Mooney’s shot into his path.
The Lilywhites got their third goal after 13 minutes, Patterson’s lobbed cross knocked into the net by Ellis.
It looked like the last touch came off a Chesterfield player, but Ellis claimed it.
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Hide AdNorth End’s fourth goal came nine minutes before the interval.
Ellis was fouled in the box by Lee Rogers, Patterson blasting home the resulting penalty.
They didn’t let up after half-time, Preston making it 5-0 in the 49th minute.
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Hide AdIt was the best goal of the lot, Patterson starting the move on the counter-attack.
He slipped a pass to Ellis who danced past two tackles before shooting low past the keeper from inside the box.
They hit their sixth goal in the 74th minute, left-back Mick Rathbone pulling the ball back from the byline for Ellis to head home.
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Hide AdVictory could even have been greater, with Mooney and Ellis both hitting the post.
Mooney was also twice denied by fine saves from Astbury as North End ran rings round Chesterfield.
PNE boss John McGrath tried not to get carried away with the win, but was as pleased as punch with what he had seen.
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Hide AdMcGrath said: “We got off to a tremendous start and three quick goals killed them off. It was good to see Tony Philliskirk get off the mark and Tony Ellis was lethal.”
This was the first of four wins on the bounce, with PNE going on to win 3-1 at Gillingham, beat Brentford 5-3 and secure a 3-0 victory over Mansfield.
PNE: Tunks, Williams, Jones, Wrightson, Atkins, Rathbone, Mooney (Joyce 70), Bogie, Patterson, Ellis, Philliskirk. Sub (not used): Allardyce.
Attendance: 7,047