Redditch United 8, Bedworth United 1

Redditch racked up one of their biggest ever Valley Stadium victories, sweeping aside a Bedworth side reduced to ten men inside the opening four minutes.

Striker Jazz Luckie and substitute Ashley Sammons led the rout with two goals apiece but it was midfielder Max Loveridge who stole the show, opening the scoring and then continually driving his side forward with a typically tireless display.

Defender Kyle Cartwright was the player to see red, his challenge on Loveridge being both late and reckless.

But Bedworth’s makeshift defence then managed to keep their rampant hosts at bay for another 30 minutes before the pressure finally told.

In that time, George Carline and Luckie had shots blocked on the line, Luckie and Kyle Haynes were denied by keeper Liam Richards and Carline had a shot rattle the crossbar.

In the end it was Loveridge who made the breakthrough, exchanging passes with Robbie Thompson-Brown before finding the net despite the efforts of Bedworth’s Kiwi international Luke Rowe to clear.

A minute later and Luckie grabbed his first, reacting quickest to prod home the loose ball after Richards had managed to keep out a low Jamey Osborne effort.

Former Redditch striker Jordan Archer reduced the arrears with a well-taken goal on 39 minutes but the home side had the points in the bag by the break with Carline squeezing in a third soon after before Osborne found the bottom left-hand corner with an 18-yard strike in injury time.

More resolute defending kept the Reds at bay at the start of the second half but with central defender Jim Mutton also in inspired form for the home side, there was little opportunity to claw their way back.

Luckie claimed his second of the game on 65 minutes, stooping to head home from eight yards, before Jordan Cullinane-Liburd capped a fine display by bundling a corner over the line to open up a 6-1 lead.

To their credit, Bedworth did have moments where they looked dangerous only for the final ball to let them down. But with 13 minutes to go, Aron Wint crashed a 25-yard drive against the crossbar with substitute Dan Creaney’s rebound being brilliantly turned away for a corner by alert Redditch keeper Jose Veiga.

Sammons, who had seen an earlier effort tipped over the crossbar by Richards, opened his account in the 81st minute when his shot deflected off Rowe and looped high over the stranded Greenbacks keeper and into the net.

And it was Sammons who rounded off the scoring four minutes later with a trademark 28-yard strike that nestled into the bottom right-hand corner.

Redditch: Veiga 7, Haynes 6, Cullinane-Liburd 8, LOVERIDGE 9, Mutton 8, Flanagan 7, Thompson-Brown 6 (Shearer 57, 6), Richards 7 (Sammons 67, 7), Luckie 7, Osborne 7, Carline 7 (Molyneux 74). Subs (not used): Young, Fletcher