Harlow Town were brushed aside by relegation rivals Wingate & Finchley as they recorded a devastating 7-2 scoreline at the Harlow Arena in the Bostik League Premier Division.

The visitors stormed into a 5-0 lead by the 33rd minute through braces from Sean Cronin and Anthony Mendy along with a single goal for Reece Beckles-Richardson, and strikes from Matt Foy and Emile Acquah couldn’t prevent Charlie Cole and Cronin from adding the finishing touches.

The visitors got off to the best possible start when, after only seven minutes, Cronin got his head to Charlie Ruff’s corner and his header looped in just underneath the crossbar.

Fabian Simms came close to setting-up an equaliser soon after, but his free-kick was missed by both Acquah and Curtis Ujah sliding in at the back post.

Further chances went begging and they came back to haunt the hosts as the away side fired in three goals in four minutes.

Cronin doubled his personal tally on 17 minutes with a powerful free-kick, before Mendy finished from a one-on-one and a simple tap-in to make it four.

The Hawks pushed forward to try and get on the score-sheet but Wingate were proving to be relentless up front, and they added a fifth just after the half-hour mark when Beckles-Richards curled in a stunning goal from the edge of the area.

Harlow did manage to beat the visiting keeper before the break when Layne Eadie fouled Matt Foy in the box, and the striker converted to make it 5-1 at the break.

Wingate started the second half as brightly as they had finished the first and it was only desperate defending that prevented Tanasheh Abrahams from netting the sixth when his shot was blocked before he put the rebound over the bar.

Ruff then hit the woodwork with a free-kick, but number six did arrive shortly after when a deep free-kick found Cole at the back post to head home.

Two minutes later, Acquah scored a second for the Hawks when his snapshot from the edge of the area found the bottom corner, but with three minutes to go Cronin sealed the rout and his hat-trick when a fired a free-kick through the wall and into the net.

The result moves Harlow back into the relegation zone, four points above Burgess Hill Town and a point behind both Wingate & Finchley and Whitehawk.

The Hawks go again this Saturday when they travel to fourth-placed Merstham, with kick-off at 3pm.