RAMSBOTTOM United made it six straight wins with a comprehensive victory at Harrogate Railway Athletic on Saturday.

Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley’s side are in a rich vein of form and took their goal tally to 23 in just five games in Yorkshire.

It took just 17 minutes for them to find the net last weekend when good work by Phil Dean and Gary Stopforth ended with Dominic Smalley arrowing an effort into the top corner from just inside the Harrogate box.

Rams stopper Grant Shenton was rarely called upon but when required he was in good form.

It could have been two for Rammy when Tom Brooks had a gilt-edged chance from just a few yards out but inexplicably put his shot over the bar.

Brooks and Stopforth both went close before, on 35 minutes, the second goal did arrive thanks to a fine through ball from the latter.

His pass found Jon Robinson and he coolly rounded Harrogate keeper Eric Grimes to slide home and double the lead.

In the final minute of the first half, the Rams put the game beyond their hosts when Smalley was upended in the box by Mike Morris.

Dean gleefully hammered the ball into the bottom left hand corner from the 12-yard spot to make it 3-0.

The second half began at a slower pace, but on 56 minutes Shenton produced a superb double save to deny first Dan Thirkill then Colin Hunter, as the home side desperately strived to find a way back into the match.

Their efforts were in vain, however, when United made it four on 70 minutes.

A great run down the left from the halfway line by Dean saw him drive into the box and send in a cross-shot which dropped into the net over Grimes.

Dean was denied a hat-trick minutes later when he bundled the ball home at the second attempt, only for the referee to rule it out for handball.

There was still time for more drama four minutes from time when the hosts, already down to 10 men due to an injury after using all their substitutes, were reduced to nine when Joel Dixon was shown a red card following a crunching tackle on man-of-the-match Dean.

The win lifted the Rams up to 12th place in the division and just six points off the play-off places as they extended their unbeaten run in league and cup to seven matches.

A waterlogged pitch prevented them extending that at the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium on Tuesday when the home clash against Ossett Albion was postponed.

The Rams travel to Blyth Spartans of the Evo-Stik Premier Division on Saturday for a first-ever meeting between the sides in the FA Trophy second qualifying round.