Chester FC underlined the gulf in class between the National League and the North West Counties League with a ruthless performance in the Cheshire Senior Cup.
Craig Hobson led the charge with four goals as the Blues outclassed visiting Winsford United, scoring eight times in the first-half in an eventual 10-1 win.
Chester boss Steve Burr used the game to give Dylan Forth a rare start in goal and started new signings Ben Gordon and Luke Woodland, and
George Thomson put the Blues ahead on six minutes, finishing from close range after keeper Dale Latham had saved from Tom Peers.
The pair combined for the second goal in the 17th minute with Thomson setting up Peers, who cut inside and his strike beat Latham.
Winsford produced an instant response when Kyle Riley broke through and slotted past Dylan Forth but the visitors were still celebrating when Hobson took a pass from Kane Richards and blasted the ball into the net.
Richards then got in the act with the fourth and Sam Hughes made it 5-1 in the 31st minute with a well-placed header from Ryan Higgins' cross before Ben Heneghan added the sixth on 35 minutes when he slammed home Ben Gordon's pull back.
The goals kept on coming with Peers getting his second after a Higgins shot had been parried to make it 7-1 and Hobson chipped in another before the half-time whistle ended Winsford's nightmare.
Latham ensured the score remained the same until 69 minutes when the keeper was beaten as Hobson headed Thomson's free-kick past the keeper to make it 9-1.
Lewis Boardman and Sam Haley came on for their first appearances moving into the closing stages and the last word went to Hobson as he tapped home a Richards pass for his fourth to make the final score 10-1.
Chester FC: Forth, Higgins (Boardman 71), Heneghan, Kay, Gordon, Woodland, Hughes, Richards, Hobson, Thomson (Haley 78), Peers.
Subs: Worsnop, Rooney, George.
Goals: Thomson 6, Peers 17 and 36, Hobson 19, 40, 69 and 89, Richards 21, Hughes 31, Heneghan 35.
Winsford United: Latham, Hibbert, Clarke, Jones, Barrett (Eiselt 53), Rothwell, Howell, Jennings, K Riley, Hudson (Seol 46), S Riley (Cook 59).
Subs: Egan.
Goal: K Riley 18.
Attendance: 311.
