Recent outings have seen a resurgent Villa return to the kind of form shown towards the end of last season with a run of confident team performances, belying their recent lowly league position. Nevertheless, the history of this local derby is littered with exasperated memories for the Villa faithful, and they made the short journey knowing that the formbook goes out the window when these two sides square up. This time, however, it was clear from the outset that the Euxton side were in no mood to be knocked out of their stride, and, an excellent David Warburton hat-trick notwithstanding, a bit more ruthlessness in front of goal could have seen an even more emphatic scoreline as reward for some outstanding outfield play.

Villa set their stall out right from the off when Danial Hogg burst into the box, and was moved to make a half hearted appeal when squeezed off the ball between two defenders, but not one that was ever going to be given, not in the box at any rate! But although Villa were making the early running, Ross Baxter at the other end had to call on all his class to turn over a vicious shot with just five minutes on the watch.

We didn’t have long to wait for the breakthrough however. Villa were finding joy down their right, and from a throw-in Adam McAlister worked a quick ‘feet and back’ with Gavin Cooper, fed Hogg who killed the ball with an quality first touch, allowing Warburton to smash it first time past Almond in the Coppull goal before any defender could react.

Slick passing and high tempo were the order of the day for the visitors, and not long after his fine opener, Warburton came close to grabbing a second when a Sam Bolton free kick was headed back out and fell kindly for him, but Almond did well to get everything behind his well struck volley. Hogg’s pace as usual was causing consternation, though for once it seemed the opposition had someone who could match him in their youthful left back. However the striker was able to set up Tom Whittaker with the interval fast approaching, but he hesitated and the chance was gone.

The second half began as the first had finished, with the home side finding little answer to the fluidity of their opponents’ passing and movement. As sweet a striker of a dead ball as anyone in the league, Warburton can be equally handy from open play, and his second was one for the cameras, as he smashed an unstoppable thunderbolt into the top corner from thirty yards just ten minutes into the half.

Villa were now in full flight and, chances were coming aplenty. Hogg twice used his considerable pace to good effect, getting in behind the back line and latching on to quality through balls, but his finishing lacked the composure to deliver the killer punch. Then, fifteen minutes from time, yet more good work down the right saw Villa win another of many corners. Cooper feinted to deliver long, but instead slipped it to McAlister, who looked up and fired the ball to the feet of Warburton lurking near the penalty spot. Almond did well to parry his initial shot, but the rebound come straight back to Warby’s feet, and he gave the keeper no chance with the follow-up shot.

Not at all the usual ‘blood and guts’ affair we have come to expect from this normally fiercely contested derby. Coppull were uncharacteristically subdued, and could find little on the day to seriously trouble their near neighbours, and apart from that early touch over,   Baxter had little to worry about throughout the afternoon. Warburton will quite rightly take the lion’s share of the plaudits, but special mention must also go to a rejuvenated Gavin Cooper who has hit a purple patch of form, and to the ever impressive Adam McAlister who weighed in with yet another masterclass at right-back.

Villa line-Up: Ross Baxter, Adam McAlister (John Salisbury 79), Darren Davies, Ross Dickinson, Sam Bolton, Matt Plano, Tom Whittaker (Stuart Bingham 65), Elliot Dunn Gavin Cooper, Dave Warburton, (Matt Conway 76)  Danial Hogg