TWO goals in the opening four minutes made sure there was never going to be any Cup upset at Shawbridge last night.

Clitheroe were sent into cruise control after Jason Jones and Lee Cryer effectively knocked the stuffing out of Brent Peters' Bacup side.

In a match played in poor conditions, Jones set Clitheroe on the way after just two minutes with a left foot shot from the edge of the box after a lay-off from the lively Cryer.

And in the fourth minute Cryer doubled the advantage with a bizarre goal. It looked as though the Bacup keeper would collect the ball comfortably but he dallied long enough for Cryer to react and poke the ball home.

Clitheroe, buoyed by those early strikes, dominated the first half and they went 3-0 up after 27 minutes.

Again it was Cryer, this time he went through one on one with the keeper and finished with a delightful chip.

"Against lower league opposition you are always concerned that there could be an upset so I was delighted with the way we went about the task," said Clitheroe boss Lee Sculpher.

"Getting those two early goals really helped settle us down and the longer it stayed 2-0 it killed off their chances of coming back into the game.

"I was pleased with the display because it was very hard work given the condition of the pitch and I'm delighted for Lee because this was his first home game since September because of the injuries he has suffered."

In the second half Bacup rallied -- and if anything were the better side.

The visitors forced the pace but only had a couple of long-range efforts that forced the Clitheroe keeper into action.

The pitch deteriorated and spoiled the game as a spectacle but Clitheroe weren't complaining, they had done their work early.

CLITHEROE 3 BACUP 0