They made a dream start with a goal inside the first five minutes. George Washbourne’s in swinging corner had goalkeeper Jamie McAlindon in all sorts of trouble and the ball found the back of the net – Washbourne’s first goal for the club.

Five minutes later the Scholars doubled their lead when Paul Sullivan advanced on goal and as McAlindon came out the ball span free and Sullivan fired into an empty net.

Still inside the first fifteen minutes, Chasetown made it 3-0 when Stan Mugisha took the ball round the keeper and fired home from a tight angle.

Loughborough pulled one straight back through Luke Chapman but following a save by McAlindon to deny Sullivan, Mugisha added his second in a manic opening 25 minutes at The Scholars Ground.

Before half an hour was up, Ryan Wynter made it 5-1 rounding the keeper and firing into an empty net – an incident that saw McAlindon collide with his defender and require lengthy treatment, unbeknown to scorer Wynter.

Sullivan became the second player to net a brace with a delicate chip over a stranded visiting keeper with still seven first half minutes remaining.

McAlindon had clearly been distressed by the injury and despite his desire to show fighting spirit and play on, he left the field five minutes into the second half, replaced by substitute defender Will Dennis.

The start of the second half was understandably flat with the points in the bag but Dennis denied a seventh with a block at his near post but could do nothing when Washbourne got the ball onto his cultured left foot and fired an effort past the deputy keeper.
Loughborough’s misery was compounded when Tom Maddison was sent off for a second bookable offence.

One of three players looking for a hat-trick, Washbourne then stung Dennis’ gloves with a curling effort which the keeper could only parry to the feet of substitute Nick Turton who poached the rebound from three yards in the 83rd minute.

In stoppage time, Sullivan completed his hat trick with a cool finish to equal Chasetown's 8-goal winning margin over Wednesfield in 2002 – Sullivan’s fifth Scholars hat-trick and his second against Loughborough.

Chasetown: Bateman, Thompson, Edwards, Dance, Eze, Brown, Mugisha (Robinson, 77 mins), Davies (Slater, 69 mins), Wynter (Turton, 74 mins), Sullivan, Washbourne

Other subs: Williams, Haynes (not used)