Atherton Collieries suffered a calamitous 4-0 defeat to Liversedge in the NPL Premier Division, ending the game with nine men on a frustrating Tuesday evening at the Skuna Stadium.

Goals from Joe Walton, Nathan Cartman, Jack Stockdill and Rob Guilfoyle saw Liversedge run out clear winners on the night, with Ollie Brown receiving a straight red in the first-half.

The visitors went into the game fighting desperately for survival and the early action was close and cagey, with Jay Fitzmartin and Jack Lenehan both testing the visiting keeper in the opening minutes.

It was Liversedge who made the breakthrough on the half-hour mark, though, the ball ricocheting around the box with Walton’s eventual effort trickling into Mackenzie Chapman’s far corner.

The hosts thought they were level minutes later, Fitzmartin racing through on goal and squaring to Bailey Thompson, however the offside flag went up as the Colls man slotted home.

The turning point came shortly before half time with Brown shown a straight red card for a heavy challenge on Stockdill, in what looked a harsh decision from the referee.

Colls were punished just moments later, as Cartman bundled the ball over the line to double Liversedge’s advantage and leave Colls with a mountain to climb going into the break.

Injury forced boss Brad Cooke into a double substitution at half time and things went from bad to worse as Adam Rooney limped off just minutes into the second half.

In the midst of the substitution, Liversedge added a third, a well-worked free-kick routine saw the ball squared to Stockdill who tapped home at the back post to extend his side’s lead.

Captain Danny Lafferty became the next injury casualty for an out-of-luck Colls side, leaving the stripes reduced to nine men facing what was already an uphill struggle.

Liversedge eventually added a fourth, Cartman’s shot parried out into the path of Guilfoyle who struck to put the visitors well out-of-sight with 15 minutes remaining.

With nine-man Colls struggling to make in-roads up front, it was sheer determination that kept the scoreline as it was, Guilfoyle’s late effort cleared off the line and Cartman also denied at the death.

In the end it was a frustrating night for the Stripes, punished by a clinical Liversedge side who were deservedly applauded off by the Colls faithful at full time.

Cooke’s side will now have to lick their wounds and prepare to bounce back at Belper tomorrow (3pm), amidst a worrying injury pile-up and congested late-season fixture list.