CHRIS LLOYD bagged a brace as Bromsgrove Sporting closed in on securing promotion with a 4-0 victory at relegation battlers Stafford Town.
The Midland League Division One leaders took the initiative after seven minutes when Lloyd found the far corner from the edge of the area after beautifully controlling Craig Jones’ cross-field pass.
Eleven minutes later Jason Cowley saw an effort smash against the crossbar but the rebound fell to the feet of Lloyd who made no mistake from a tight angle.
Substitute Alfie Bloomer made it 3-0 with 13 minutes to go before Tom Wright put through his own net in the 84th minute to round off a comfortable afternoon’s work for Paul Smith’s men at Evans Park.
Sporting are now unbeaten in 31 league games this season and need just two more wins to secure promotion the Premier Division.
After the penalty shoot-out heartache against Highgate United in the final of the Worcestershire FA Senior Urn on Wednesday, the Rouslers quickly put to bed their cup woes as they took the lead inside ten minutes.
Jones launched an angled cross to Lloyd who took the ball in his stride before curling the ball into the bottom right hand corner beyond the outstretched arm of Josh Moreton in the Town goal.
Yann Edimo then saw a long-range free-kick go down the throat of Sporting goalkeeper Jon Brown but after 18 minutes the hosts found themselves 2-0 down.
Jason Cowley showed some neat skill to turn his man on the edge of the area before volleying against the crossbar but Lloyd reacted fastest to turn home the rebound.
And the winger probably should have completed his hat-trick just moments later but he headed over crosses from Cowley and John Pykett with just 20 minutes on the clock.
At this point the hosts were pretty much camped in their own half and being completely outclassed.
But left-back Harry Bowers will be scratching his head at how a team-mate did not get on the end of two beautiful deliveries into the box as the first half petered out.
After the break Sporting continued to push forward as Reece Hewitt, Keenan Meakin-Richards and Craig Jones all saw chance go begging by the hour mark.
Stafford though had came out a rejuvenated side and it needed a fine save from Brown after 66 minutes to deny Edimo from pulling a goal back following some sloppy Sporting play at the back.
And two minutes later a dangerous cross from Kyle Wainwright fizzed through the area and out to safety.
Moreton then did well to push Jones’ powerful header from Lloyd’s corner away from goal after 77 minutes but substitute Bloomer was on hand to collect the loose ball and score his second goal in two games after netting the equaliser in the Senior Urn final.
A minute later though Brown was called into action once more as he got across his line quickly to tip Ryan Pace’s free-kick around the post.
With ten minutes to go Lloyd then smashed an effort from a tight angle against the post after rounding Moreton.
But four minutes later Sporting grabbed their final goal of the afternoon when an unfortunate Wright diverted Robbie Bunn’s cross into his own net.
