Canterbury City continued their impressive form with a comprehensive cup win over New Romney.

After a 6-1 league victory at Bearsted, they swept away their visitors in Saturday’s Bill Mankelow Inter Regional Cup tie at Hersden.

A hat-trick by Dave Read was the highlight and manager Dave Fairclough (pictured) said: "We have started playing like a team again.

"But I still have a couple more players I would like to bring in before I can be confident of challenging the top sides in the Kent County League."

Although playing in the division below City, New Romney were not expected to capitulate.

However, under prolonged pressure, especially from City’s three-man strike force of the returning Wayne Fittall, the pacy Royston Gough and the powerful Read, they began to falter in the early minutes and were three down by
half-time.

After that, Fairclough enjoyed the luxury of making three changes without causing any damage to his side’s impetus.

City’s flowing football was largely based on the fact that they have the inspiration of new goalkeeper Paul Hyde, whose Football League experience with Wycombe, Leyton Orient and Leicester is proving invaluable.

He captained the side on Saturday and made three fine saves but for most of the time his duties were to encourage his team-mates.

City took the lead on 16 minutes when a shot from Luke Jackson was going wide of goal but hit a defender and deflected in.

Ten minutes later, Read scored the first of his three after some clever ball control by Gough whose pass was inch perfect for his fellow striker.

The return after suspension of Fittall was another confidence boost. His strong running with the ball and ability to turn defenders had been sorely missed.

And when Craig Southern sent over a low centre, it was Fittall who turned it into the net to depress New Romney, who could not cope with the football City were channelling through them from defence to attack.Read slammed in City’s fourth and the goals kept coming.

Liam Whiting hit a 30-yarder inside the far post and Scott Lawford, moving up from full-back, struck the ball under the goalkeeper for the sixth.

Read virtually walked in the seventh after New Romney waited for an offside decision that never came and finally Gough got on the scoresheet by
somehow managing to scramble the ball over the line when almost flat on his back.