CONNOR Waldon grabbed a hat-trick as Swindon Town’s youngsters booked an FA Youth Cup meeting with Liverpool by brushing aside Cirencester 6-1 at the County Ground last night.

The striker’s treble, as well as a brace from captain Alex Ferguson and one from Aaron Ferris, completed an easy victory over the men from the Corinium, although Ryan Rawlins’ late red card was the only blemish on an otherwise impressive night for Town.

Despite starting the game slowly and allowing their visitors the better of the opening exchanges, the home side quickly found their rhythm as Ferguson began dominating midfield and linked up well with Waldon, with the pair having a hand in almost every Town attack.

Left-back Mathew Jones was superb as he charged up and down the wing all night and delivered some delightful crosses which his teammates couldn’t fail to take advantage of, and he linked up well with Jake Simpson who only returned from international duty with Jamaica in the early hours of the morning.

Liverpool will surely provide a sterner test of Town’s young stars, but they can take great heart from the way they dominated possession and kept their shape throughout, and displayed some clinical finishing to score six good goals.

The visitors enjoyed the majority of the possession inside the opening 10 minutes, and had a golden chance to take the lead as Jack Smith headed Mason Thompson’s cross straight into the arms of Town keeper Josh Helm. Swindon looked to respond quickly but there was no red shirt able to take advantage of Mark Francis’ cross, but it was the visitors who once again created the next real chance as Naoki Montoya headed over an inviting cross from Asa Cox.

But despite being on the back foot for most of the opening 15 minutes, it was the home side who took the lead as Waldon headed home a long free-kick which was pumped into the box.

It wasn’t long until the home side doubled their lead, as a well-placed ball from the back put Ferguson through on keeper Luke Berwick, and the Town skipper finished superbly into the corner.

It could so easily have been 3-0 almost immediately but Berwick spread himself well to deny Francis, but Town did soon find the net again as a superb ball in from the left from Jones was met by Waldon to add his second of the evening.

That was how it stayed until half-time, but within minutes of the re-start a good ball was flighted into the box by Luke Murden, allowing Francis to head the ball down for Ferguson to lash home.

The visitors kept pressing and came close as Cox rattled the bar and Smith saw a shot blocked, but all their good work trying to get back into the game was undone as skipper Reuben Keating stumbled on the ball, allowing Ferris to nip in and rob him of possession, and then fire into the back of the net past Berwick.

Ciren did grab one back as Gareth James smashed the ball home, but less than a minute later the five-goal advantage was restored as Waldon arrived to convert another superb cross from Jones for his hat-trick.

Waldon got free at the near post as he headed over from a corner as he went in search of a fourth, and Ferguson also nearly completed a hat-trick but could only head over the bar.

The game ended on a sour note as Rawlins was sent off for a nasty looking tackle on Cox, but the Town youngsters can now let their thought’s wander to their third-round meeting with the Anfield side in December.