Welwyn Garden City gave their most complete performance of the season to claim their first double of the campaign - emphatically beating county rivals Leverstock Green.
The Citizens had opened their Southern League Division One Central programme with a 3-1 success away to their Hemel Hempstead visitors in August, but this was a much stronger performance from Marc Weatherstone’s side, who moved third in the table with the victory.
In truth, the visitors were lucky to escape with only a four-goal beating, such was WGC’s dominance.
Welwyn also missed a penalty and hit the village side’s crossbar, as well as scorning a couple of other highly acceptable chances.
And all this was without both first choice strikers.
Bailey Stevenson, scorer of 13 goals in 14 games this season, went down with COVID on Friday and Weatherstone decided not to risk his strike partner Reece Cameron, who had a hamstring pull.
Layne Eadie got away down the left, crossed to the near post where Lewis Taaffe got a headed flick on to Jones at the back post, who headed home from close in, for the perfect start.
Six minutes later, the lead was doubled. Again Eadie’s raiding down the left paid full dividends. This time, he got away from full-back Isiah Hilaire, making his debut after signing from Harpenden Town, and again got his cross to the near post.
Once more Taaffe was the first to meet it, this time sending a strong shot that flew past keeper Alfie Bonfield.
Ten minutes further into the game and WGC came within an ace of a third as Charlie McDonald split the visitors defence with a fine pass.
Jones played it square for Eadie to run onto, but although his powerful effort flew past the keeper, it hit the crossbar and bounced out.
It was to prove the first of two golden chances for the attacking Eadie in as many minutes.
He was played clean through moments later, but when one-on-one with Bonfield and the goal at his mercy, he screwed his final shot wide of the far post.
The Citizens were relentless at his stage and dominated through to the interval, without an anxious moment at the other end, keeper Joe Welch largely unemployed.
WGC were forced into a change when the outstanding Ryan Sellers had to be replaced with a slight injury, Matty Whichelow coming on for the second 45 minutes.
And although Leverstock threatened an improvement at the start of the second-half, it was soon thwarted by a WGC third, four minutes after the break.
Jones delivered a peach of a pass for Eadie to run onto down the left. He crossed again to the near post and Taaffe came in to smash in his second and the side’s third.
Ten minutes later Taaffe had the chance of his hat-trick, when WGC were awarded a penalty for a high boot that claimed defender Benjy Crilley as its victim.
After a lengthy delay, Crilley was helped from the field with a bad head cut that later required hospital stitching.
Taaffe was entrusted with the spot-kick but he put it too close to Bonfield who made the save.
But 17 minutes from time, the Citizens did score a fourth, and it was the best of the bunch.
Substitute Whichelow met a dipping right-wing corner with a fine volley, sending it soaring past Bonfield and completing an outstanding afternoon’s work from a rampant Citizens.
WGC: Welch, Otseh-Taiwo, Eadie, Crilley (Steel 58), Green, Sellers (Whichelow 46), McDonald, Bennett, Wadkins, Taaffe (Read 71), L.Jones
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