Ashington AFC President Ian Lavery does the honours

Sean Longstaff (4), Adam Laidler (2), Lewis McNall and Owen Gallacher were all on target for the visitors, while Andrew Johnson fired in from distance for Ashington.

A healthy crowd of 1,229 wasn't deterred by the strong winds and driving rain - although the catering tent fell victim to the elements and the game was held up while attempts were made to stop it blowing away.

Local MP Ian Lavery cut the ribbon on the new 250 seat stand as the rain began to fall and with just three minutes on the clock Longstaff opened the scoring.

Home 'keeper Connor Grant blocked efforts from both McNall and Longstaff before Ashington almost levelled when Ben Harmison's header following a 30th minute corner was cleared off the line.

Within a minute the ball was nestling in the net at the other end of the field, as Laidler latched on to a long ball and netted with a low shot off the far post.

The Magpies made it 3-0 six minutes after the restart when Longstaff slammed the ball in after a scramble, before U18 Academy top scorer McNall's neat finish extended the lead on 58 minutes.

Longstaff had a routine finish on the hour to complete his treble before home captain Johnson's shot left substitute goalkeeper Ben Smith grasping thin air in the 71st minute as Ashington reduced the arrears.

Fellow substitute Gallacher made it 6-1 on 74 minutes before winger Laidler got his second straight from the restart. Longstaff's fourth and United's eighth then arrived after 77 minutes, shortly before referee Michael Oliver brought proceedings to an early conclusion.

Biffa