Match Report

FC United finished off the league season in emphatic style by demolishing Formby with five goals to no reply before lifting the North West Counties Division One trophy in front of 3,847 delighted supporters and head into Thursday’s D-Zine League Challenge Cup Final on a high.

Rhodri Giggs, up front in place of the suspended Stuart Rudd, was again on the scoresheet, breaking the deadlock after 20 minutes. But it was Rory Patterson who stole the show with another hat-trick and an own goal early in the second half added to the Merseysiders’ misery.

The Squirrels were never really in the game as the Reds attacked the Manchester Road End in the first half and looked like they could score at will. Good work down the right wing by Simon Carden drew the ’keeper out wide and the former Stockport County midfielder was able to square the ball to Giggs for an easy tap in into an empty goal.

It was 15 minutes later that Patterson doubled the advantage by drilling the ball low and hard into the bottom right corner from the edge of the area after latching on to a loose ball at the end of a goal mouth scramble.

The result was put beyond doubt just four minutes into the second half when Formby conceded an own goal and there was no let up as Patterson took his tally for the season to 39 in a quick six minute spell that had the Squirrels looking buried and the FC United faithful going nuts.

All that was left was for manager Karl Marginson to give the crowd what they were waiting for by sticking to his word to a make a cameo appearance on the left wing for 15 minutes to bring the curtain down on his playing career. In truth Margy should have grabbed the sixth and sealed it in style but the former Rotherham striker smacked his powerful volley just over the bar.

Afterwards Margy said: "It was magnificent today. All the hard work that’s been put is obviously worthwhile on days like today when you have that kind of support and we get out hands on a trophy. What an occasion."

"I’ve not played for a couple of years so that was nice for me. It’s a bit of a selfish one that I’ve been mulling over for a while, but that’s my last game of football now so it’s done and dusted."

And he’s eagerly awaiting the challenge of having to go to Curzon Ashton’s Tameside Stadium on Thursday and attempt to beat them on their own patch to complete an incredible league and cup double. He added: "We’ll go to the final full of confidence now and hopefully we’ll get the right result."