GREAT Harwood Rovers may have ended up as losers but when it comes to grit and determination there was only one winner.

For while Rovers were on the wrong side of an 8-0 defeat against a very talented and in-form Clitheroe Wolves side they never stopped working.

It was only a matter of time before Wolves took the lead against a Rovers side robbed off their best players due to involvement at Academy teams.

But keeper Thomas Boothman did his best to keep them at bay with a string of fine saves to deny Elliot Watson, Jack Orrell and star man Owen Jackson who went on to bag four goals.

Watson rattled the upright before Wolves finally took the lead - although Boothman can count himself a little unlucky about the opener. Jackson surged down the left and his low drive was well saved by the Rovers keeper but Orrell was on hand to tuck the ball home.

It was the goal that finally broke Rovers resilience as William Bond, Ethan Slater, Lewis Hindle and Owen Wadsworth-Bullen threw themselves in to every tackle.

Alex Pope forced another good save out of Boothman before Jackson opened his account with a fine strike from just inside the area.

His second just before the break proved to be too hot to handle for Boothman, drilling the ball home direct from a free kick.

And Jackson completed his hat-trick soon after the restart when he cut inside his marker to thump his shot beyond Boothman. Jackson's fourth was the best of the lot, surging through the middle of the park before finishing with a delicate chip over the keeper.

Charlie Dewhurst then got on the scoresheet, converting from close range after good work from Ewan Jackson.

But despite the goals flying in on a regular occurrence, Rovers refused to surrender and one of the loudest cheers of the morning was when they launched a rare raid upfield when Dominic Rutter released Oliver Thompson but he was tackled by Watson just as he was about to shoot.

Rutter and Thompson then combined with Matthew Davies to create a couple of half chances as they hunted that consolation goal.

However, the only goals to be scored on this occasion were at the other end and Dewhurst notched his second before setting up Ewan Jackson to complete the scoring.

CLITHEROE WOLVES: James Billington, Jack Burgess, Alex Pope, Will Lancaster, Owen Jackson, Ewan Jackson, Charlie Dewhurst, Jack Orrell, Elliot Watson, James Scorah, Nathan Astin, Frankie Jackson.

GREAT HARWOOD ROVERS: Thomas Boothman, William Bond, Ethan Slater, Oliver Thompson, Dominic Rutter, Lewis Hindle, Owen Wadsworth-Bullen, Matthew Davies.