MALVERN Town chalked up their third win on the bounce in all competitions with a 3-0 victory at Smethwick Rangers.
The Hillsiders took the lead from their first meaningful attack in the fifth minute, with Joshua Hunt on hand to turn the ball home from close range after the Smethwick keeper spilled Louis Loader’s initial effort.
The second goal arrived just before the hour mark, with Hunt grabbing his second from the penalty spot.
Hunt completed his hat-trick seven minutes from time when he tapped in the rebound from his initial shot which had been expertly saved at point-blank range.
Malvern joint-boss Lee Hooper was pleased with the victory, which kept his side fifth in the West Midlands Premier table, but believed the game could have been won by a bigger margin.
“We would have taken that (a 3-0 win) before the game,” he said.
“We could have been more clinical in front of goal because we created a lot of chances.
“Josh deserved his hat-trick because he has worked hard and we knew the goals would start to come again.
“It’s also a second clean sheet in a row, which is very pleasing.
“The momentum is building now and there is plenty of belief among the players.
“This group has a tremendous spirit and togetherness about them.
“We’ve got that winning mentality and hopefully it can continue.”
Malvern welcome Wednesfield to the HDAnywhere Community Stadium on Saturday.