RYAN Bush’s quick-fire brace set in motion a blitzing second half for Buckland Athletic on Saturday as they stormed to a 6-1 Western League win over Street.

Bush’s double came within minutes of the half-time restart and put Buckland out of sight of their Somerset visitors after Josh Webber and Cieran Bridger had given the hosts a 2-0 lead at the break. Substitutes Scott Crocker and Sam Stayt got in on the act either side of Toby Davey’s consolation in the second half.

‘[The win] just sums up this league,’ said elated Bucks boss Dan Hart, who signed a new, multi-year contract before the game.

‘We went up there on a Tuesday night in tough conditions and we struggled and we flopped at the end of the game, but today we turned that around on its head.

‘That could happen to us if we are not on it and that could happen to any team in this league if they are not on it, so it’s important to us to keep putting that quality out there.’

Early signs pointed towards a breathless Buckland display. A big chance came within 10 minutes of kick-off, as a rapid break saw Webber slide a pass through for Bush. Bush struck the shot well but saw his effort deflected wide.

Buckland’s fast start reaped its reward just six minutes later. Street failed to clear their lines, and Webber robbed a defender of possession as he tried to sort his feet out on the edge of the box. The 28-year-old, who has been in fine form lately, brought the ball under control and slammed home from the edge of the box to open the scoring.

With the floodgates wide open, Buckland continued to plunder the Street goal. The Cobblers struggled to get a strong foot on the ball and by the half-hour mark found themselves a second goal down. Webber was again instrumental, as he received the ball with his back to goal and fed Bridger. Bridger took a touch to set himself before rifling low into the bottom-right corner.

There was no let-up from Buckland before the break. A wayward kick from visiting goalkeeper Liam Norris – something which plagued his game – landed at the feet of Bush, who broke clear of the defence at pace. Norris made amends for his error and thwarted the one-on-one brilliantly.

But Bush was not going to be silenced. With less than 20 seconds on the clock after the half-time break, Bridger played a neat ball through for the 25-year-old, and he was a picture of calmness as he carried the ball round the ‘keeper and put home a cool finish.

‘[At half-time] we gave them a couple bits of detail about the final third and about what we expected [Street] to do in terms of matching us up in 3-5-2 [formation],’ Hart explained.

‘They did that and Bushy [Ryan Bush] goes out there after 20 seconds and puts his [missed chance] in the first half right – he goes around the ‘keeper and finishes really well.’

Three minutes later, Bush added to his tally. Again, Webber orchestrated the goal from midfield as his initial shot rebounded back to his feet and his second attempt was a clever ball into the centre of the pitch for Bush. The forward collected the ball and struck a sweet, curling effort into the netting behind the far post.

‘It’s great for him; that’s four goals in two. He’s got a lot of people that question him but I’m a huge believer in his ability. I think he’s going to be a top, top forward for this club and he could go on through the levels whenever he wants,’ Hart said.

Still Buckland went in search of more goals as they looked to exact revenge on their guests for the 4-0 thrashing they received in the reverse fixture in early November. Sprightly substitute Crocker added the fifth on 66 minutes when he snuck in towards the back post undetected and squeezed home a loose ball after an effort from Bush had ricocheted across the box.

The Cobblers reduced the arrears six minutes later when Davey slipped into a good position on the edge of the penalty area and bounced an effort in off the post. The goal was always going to be a consolation with such a gulf between the two sides, but Street did perk up slightly afterwards.

‘We tried a few things late in the game, which will always unsettle the rhythm,’ Hart continued. ‘The players who came on made an impact – Scott [Crocker] and Sammy [Stayt] grabbed a goal each, which is great to see.

‘I want clean sheets, and I think the boys are hurting a little that they haven’t got one – that’s a great sign.’

The best was yet to come from Buckland, who restored the five-goal cushion with 15 minutes still to play. A mouth-watering move tore the malleable Street defence apart as three substitutes linked up in spellbinding fashion.

Crocker carried the ball forward on the wing and played a pinpoint pass in for Jesse Howe. With the final defender all over him, Howe slid an ingenious delivery across for Stayt, who was unmarked at the back post. Stayt had all the time in the world to set himself and made no mistake in thumping home to seal Buckland’s sixth goal and sixth-straight home win.

‘If we are at it, we can compete with anyone in this league and, today, I think we showed – certainly in the first 60 or 70 minutes – that we are a top side, and we have top players with lots of quality,’ Hart said at full-time.

‘We’ve been missing a first-half performance like that for a fair few weeks, and to see the boys go out there and play like that for the first 45 minutes and then put their stamp on it early in the second half was really pleasing.’