CLEETHORPES Town put five past their opponents for the second successive week on Saturday afternoon, beating Dunkirk FC 5-2 at the Linden Homes Club.

Luke Mascall opened the scoring for Clee before forcing an own goal which doubled the home side's lead.

Dunkirk pulled two goals back either side of a Lee Stephenson strike in what was an improved second half performance but two fine Ricky Belding goals secured a comfortable victory.

Owls boss Andy Liddle persisted with the 4-5-1 formation he has used almost exclusively in pre-season matches, with Stephenson spearheading a Clee attacking unit which started extremely brightly.

The striker diverted a Phil Cawley flick-on over the bar after only two minutes in what was a let-off for the visitors who ply their trade in the Midland Football Alliance Division One - a level on the pyramid equal to that of Cleethorpes' division, the Baris Nothern Counties East League Division One.

But Dunkirk were not so lucky five minutes later. The ever-dangerous Luke Mascall rose brilliantly to meet a Tim Lowe free-kick and powered a bullet header into the net, via a slight deflection.

The Owls were dominating the early exchanges; Mascall's lightning pace in particular was giving the Dunkirk defence a plethora of headaches. After 20 minutes, he ghosted between defenders and rounded the opposition goalkeeper, only to be seemingly brought down by the stopper. The referee however disagreed with the winger's protestations.

Dunkirk's forays into the Cleethorpes half were exceptionally limited and Clee's territorial dominance paid off again on the half hour mark. Mascall directed Jonathan Oglesby's cross towards goal but the Dunkirk goalkeeper parried well. Unfortunately for him, the ball spun towards goal, leaving him with no option but to try and palm the ball away from goal - a skill he failed to execute.

A Cawley mistake let the visitors in to score, but Stephenson finished confidently on the stroke of half-time to restore the Owls' two goal lead.

Liddle tinkered with his team for the second period, bringing on Ricky Belding and Marc Cooper and switching to a 4-4-2 formation which matched that of Dunkirk. With Cleethorpes now possessing a midfielder less than in the first half, the Nottinghamshire-based team improved.

But after pulling a second goal back just before the hour mark, and almost equalising minutes later, Dunkirk's defence buckled in the last 20 minutes.

First, Ricky Belding showed good strength to rob a defender before firing confidently into the corner of the net to make it 4-2.

Then, with 15 minutes to go, Belding latched on to a direct pass and beautifully lobbed the goalkeeper from 20 yards out to grab a second.

Cleethorpes' final pre-season match takes place on Tuesday night when Brigg Town visit the Linden Homes Club. Kick-off is 7:30pm and entry is free.

The club is also offering free travel to fans wishing to attend the first Baris NCEL Division One game in the club's history, away at Athersley Recreation next Saturday. Anyone interested in taking advantage of the offer can register their interest in the Linden Homes Club.