Harrogate Town cruised through to the 4th Qualifying round of the FA Cup with a comprehensive 3-0 win against Evo-Stik First Division side Burscough.

Louie Swain opened the scoring for Town after just ten minutes with an excellent strike from outside the area.

Burscough’s job was made all the more difficult as midfielder Michael Monaghan saw red on the stroke of half time for a dangerous two-footed lunge.

Harrogate put the result beyond doubt on the hour mark with Dominic Knowles bagging his sixth goal of the season.

Knowles then nodded in his second and Town’s third four minutes later to complete the rout over lower league opposition.

Looking for their first home win since August, Harrogate looked assured on the ball from the off. Three minutes in, midfielder Swain was unlucky not to hit the target from long range after neat footwork from Knowles enabling his teammate to get a shot away.

Moments later, Swain was to strike again from a similar distance, this time testing the Burscough keeper and beating him.

Picking up possession inside the centre circle, an acute off-the-ball run from Knowles allowed Swain to cut inside onto his favoured left foot and drill the ball across goal into the bottom right hand corner.

Burscough were not without threat however, and looked to get themselves back in the game. In the 15th minute, a well-timed ball through the left channel sent striker Liam Caddick through one-on-one, but a tame shot was easily held by Town keeper Peter Crook.

Any chance of mounting a serious challenge in the game was then thwarted by the dismissal of Monaghan just before half time. In an innocuous part of the pitch, he recklessly lunged in on Knowles, giving the referee no option but to brandish a straight red card, leaving the Linnets with an almighty hill to climb.

Town took full advantage of the numerical advantage, flooding the midfield and slotting balls through to the two-pronged attack. On 60 minutes, Knowles raced through a stagnate back four, beating the offside trap and finishing expertly with a delightful lob over the onrushing keeper.

He then claimed his brace with a simple finish from close range after some delightful build-up play. A swift left-footed cross from Daniels allowed the stocky number 10 to stroll onto the pass and head comprehensively into the left side of the net.

It was a resounding win for Town who continue their cup run alongside a push for promotion in the National Northern League and they will look to take this momentum into next week’s long trip down to Lowestoft.