TADCASTER Albion continued their slide down the NCEL Premier Division table after they were thumped 5-0 in their North Yorkshire derby at Pickering Town.

Despite brief glimpses of quality with the ball, the Brewers conceded within the first minute and never recovered as the in-form home side, with three wins in their last five, were in control throughout.

An own goal got Mick O’Connell’s side off to a dreadful start, before Ethan Kachosa, Wayne Brooksby, Connor Avison and Souleymane Coulibaly got in on the act for the Pikes, who continue to close in on the play-offs.

Tadcaster could not have made a more calamitous start to proceedings, gifting their opponents the lead with less than 60 seconds elapsed.

Pickering worked the ball quickly around the attacking half, and with defenders at sixes and sevens and goalkeeper Sam Green failing to claim the ball, ex-Brewers striker Omar Sanyang hurled himself at the ball and a wicked deflection saw it creep over the line.

The hosts could have doubled their lead from a counter-attack shortly after, but Brooksby could not keep his effort below the bar.

Hayden Habetz then carved out Tadcaster’s first chance after combining with Luca Bolino, but nobody could connect with his teasing far-post cross.

Pickering though remained on top, with the visitors indebted to a last-ditch tackle after Kachosa had released Sanyang one-on-one.

However, the writing was on the wall and the Pikes found a second goal as the half reached its mid-point.

Ben Silburn was quickest to a lacklustre Green kick, side-footing a superb pass in between Dan Thirkell and Charlie Owen, with Kachosa making no mistake to slot the ball into the bottom right corner.

As half time approached, Junayd Cassius-Gill went close to halving the deficit after Kachosa had lost possession, but Alfie Burnett was down smartly to save with his feet.

The last chance before the break fell Pickering’s way, with Kachosa shrugging off Thirkell and playing in Sanyang, but his shot flew over the crossbar.

The Pikes though weren’t made to rue their missed opportunities, and a third goal arrived just before the hour.

Sanyang caught out the Brewers’ back line with a reverse pass to Brooksby, who, spotting Green off his line, attempted an audacious chip which the goalkeeper got a glove to but couldn’t keep out.

Bolino’s deflected shot wide from just inside the box was the closest Tadcaster went to scoring in the second half, as Pickering managed to regain their sharpness following a slightly lethargic start.

And as the game entered its final quarter of an hour, the hosts extended their lead.

After seeing Harley Dawson’s free-kick hit the post, the ball ricocheted off Green and landed at the feet of an unmarked Avison to tap home.

Tadcaster were punished for more poor defending with four minutes left to play as former player Jordan Hines started a fine one-touch passing move that resulted in Brown cutting the ball back for Coulibaly, who had an easy finish to make it five.

A game to forget for O’Connell’s men, who will hope to bounce back from defeat at home to Rossington Main on Saturday (3pm). Pickering meanwhile travel to Thackley that same afternoon.