PHIL Parkinson saluted a storming start from his Altrincham high-flyers as they reinforced their hold on top spot in the Evo-Stik Premier with a resounding 4-0 win against bottom side Sutton Coldfield at Coles Lane on Saturday.

Any fears of an upset were soon brushed aside as Alty made short work of their hosts with goals from Jordan Hulme, James Jones and skipper Jake Moult inside the opening 11 minutes.

Though a string of near-misses cost them the chance to surpass September's 6-0 scoreline against Farsley Celtic as their biggest win of the season, they added a fourth in the 81st minute, with Hulme's 15th goal so far.

"We said we wanted to improve our starts of late, and we certainly did that by taking every opportunity that came our way early on," said Alty boss Parkinson.

"It settled everyone down, and that was a real positive.

"Their 3G pitch can be a bit of a leveller, but the boys never let their standards drop.

"It was a really professional performance.

"We had complete control, so much so that Tony Thompson had nothing to do until the very end, when he made one or two brilliant saves.

"It is fantastic for the team to know you have a keeper who never switches off. The save at the end epitomised his concentration levels.

"We were superior in midfield. Simon Richman got through the running of three men, and Jake Moult's distribution was summed up by a half-volley pass out wide to John Johnston that was out of this world.

"The front three were creating and scoring as well, so if you look at a clean sheet, scoring four away from home and sitting top of the league, you have to say it was positives all the way."

Alty travel to National League North side Alfreton in the FA Trophy on Saturday, with Parkinson adding: "We are relishing the challenge.

"We want a good run in the Trophy, and we can use it to gauge where we're at."