MALVERN Rangers progressed to the Worcestershire FA Junior Cup quarter-finals with a crushing 9-0 victory over Malvern Town Reserves.

Rangers saved this local derby cup clash to produce arguably their best performance of the season so far on a day where everything went to plan.

The Royal Blues took just eight minutes to open the Town defence as Anthony Smith put the ball on leading marksman Bryan Craven’s head for him to glance it past goalkeeper Jake Bobo.

On 42 minutes, Smith burst onto a perfectlyweighted ball and glided past Jamie Richards, only to be upended. Craven stepped up and slotted home the resulting penalty to make it 2-0.

Within a minute of the restart, Ricky Buckland flew down the right wing and fired a low cross into the area, only for the ball to hit a Town defender and cannon past Bobo to hand Rangers a 3-0 interval lead.

After the break, Town came out battling with Dean Drinkwater leading their frontline, but chances were few, before Rangers eventually scored their fourth goal through Buckland with a neat finish.

Smith rapidly added a fifth from a one-on-one, before a rare Paul Edwards goal after a 12- pass build-up put Rangers 6-0 ahead.

The seventh goal was a real spectacle as Craven beat the Town rearguard and, having spotted the onrushing Bobo, produced a sublime chip.

Buckland’s reward for his efforts was a brilliant eighth goal to complete his brace, before Craven rounded off a 9-0 win with his fourth of the tie.