AS pantomime season gets underway, those in attendance at Flaxley Road were treated to high farce as Selby Town shellacked eight-man Lincoln Moorlands Railway 14-0 in the Northern Counties East League first division.

Only eight visiting players turned up to play and their manager did not appear, which effectively rendered the game a training match and a non-event.

The scoreline could have been twice as punishing for the Moors without a goalkeeping performance of quite remarkable quality from Garry Doran.

The Robins racked up the goals despite Doran’s best efforts, breaking their record winning margin which had stood for 80 years after they beat Altofts West Riding Colliery 14-1 in 1935.

This was also the greatest differential to win a match in the Northern Counties Eastern League this season.

Luke Anderson and Danny Norton both netted four, there was a brace for Danny Bunch and further goals came from Louis Rowbottom, Jordan Cooper, Jack Binns and Brent Leister.

Doran begun defiantly, leaping high and diving low to save early efforts from Norton and Jamie Forrester. He was breached after eight minutes by Jordan Cooper and would concede six more before the break.

Centre-half Rowbottom released a howitzer from thirty yards that sneaked under the keeper. Jack Binns enjoyed the space he was afforded out wide, laying on goals for Norton and Anderson with flighted crossing, before Bunch’s second cannoned into the roof of the net.

Binns scored the eighth himself moments into the second half, cutting in onto his right and curling into the top corner. The ninth brought up Norton’s treble, before youngster Levi Mitchell put one on a plate for Anderson's second. The thirteenth was Doran’s only real error, spilling for Anderson to complete his hat-trick. Leister’s penalty was the last act of a unsatisfying day for all concerned.

Selby manager Dave Ricardo said: “When we found out 20 minutes before the game they would only have eight, it was a case of getting our attitude right and doing a professional job.

“I’m disappointed for the fans that paid to get in today, expecting a proper game. That said, the attitude and graft the Lincoln lads showed was just on a different level.”

The perennial crisis club, who have now lost their last 17 games, brought in new manager Tom Richardson this week in attempt to revive their fortunes, but he is reportedly unable to attend his first three games in the job because to duties with the Royal Air Force.

The official reason, initially supplied to the referee, for the absence of three of their players was due to their being stuck in heavy traffic.

Ricardo added: “We’ve got the club record but I would have liked to have done it under better circumstances, I don’t like to see any club going through that.”