Harrogate Railway's four-goal hero Joe Crosby hailed as 'unbelievable' by manager Mick O'Connell

Joe Crosby netted four times at a foggy Station View. Pictures: Craig Dinsdale

The in-form striker took his tally to the season for 13 by netting four times in the space of 25 minutes before half-time as the Starbeck club romped to a 4-0 success at Station View.

Crosby registered his first of the afternoon from Rob Youhill's 20th-minute cross, then pounced when the visiting goalkeeper spilled a Kieran Greenway effort six minutes later.

Three minutes before the interval he ran clear from halfway and slotted home his hat-trick goal, going on to take his and Railway's tally to four on the stroke of half-time.

Harrogate Railway manager Mick O'Connell.

"Joe is absolutely unbelievable," O'Connell reflected.

"His application every single week, whether it's going for him or not going for him, he's a defender's worst nightmare. He must be horrible to play against and he's clinical.

"He actually could have had six, the keeper has made two really good saves, he's tipped one around the post and I don't know how he's saved it.

"Joe, on his day, is up there with the best in this league and probably the league above, but he's humble, he's grounded and he works hard.

"He's got a great future in non-league football."

Railway failed to add to their tally after the break, but with the game already over as a contest by that stage, O'Connell said he was more than satisfied to see his players follow up a scintillating first-half display with a thoroughly "professional" second 45.

"The first half is definitely the best I've seen us play this season," he added.

"We were brilliant. We absolutely blew them away. We scored four, we could have easily scored six or seven. It was an unbelievable performance.

"That's where we are now, that's what we know these lads can produce. Sometimes everything just clicks and that's what happened on Saturday. Some of the patterns we have been working on in training, you could see. It's great when you see things coming off the training ground.

"The second half, it's difficult to maintain those levels for 90-95 minutes, but the key for me in the second half was that we dominated the ball, we kept it, we didn't have to go and punish and penetrate.

"They dropped off and got into a really good shape and we just kept the ball and were really professional."

Saturday's victory was Railway's third on the spin and their fourth in their last five matches. It keeps them fifth in the NCEL Division One standings and level on points with fourth-placed Selby Town.