DAVID Flitcroft’s tenure as Swindon Town manager started with a one-sided victory over Swindon Supermarine in the annual opening pre-season friendly of the summer.

New signing Paul Mullin bagged an excellent second-half hat-trick Town, with Luke Norris, John Goddard, Conor Thomas and trialist Jordan Slew all on the scoresheet too – the latter one of five trialists that Flitcroft ran the rule over at the Webbswood Stadium.

Although the contest was unsurprisingly one-way traffic for large periods, Marine did at least have a goal to show for their efforts through Callum Parsons after the break.

After a patchy opening, a first sight of goal arrived after 10 minutes as Town trialist Slew turned in the Marine box but shot straight at the keeper.

Five minutes later, summer signing Amine Linganzi stormed in at the back post to meet a ball in from Thomas but again found the home stopper in the way.

Marine’s only real sight of goal in the first half came just after the 20-minute mark when Ryan Campbell tried his luck from distance but it dribbled well wide of Will Henry’s goal.

Town soon got back in control of the contest and Goddard threaded in Chris Hussey up the left who floated a ball to the back post but trialist Donal McDermott saw his header blocked by a defender.

Slew then smacked the post with an effort from outside the Marine box before centre half Dion Conroy lost his man at a corner but could not divert Hussey’s delivery home.

Town finally got their noses in front just after the half-hour mark when Slew brought down Thomas’ cross from the right on his chest and fired into the net.

That opened the floodgates for the visitors as they soon got their second after an excellent counter attack. Goddard flicked on a long ball from the back to Slew, who whipped the ball low into the box, with McDermott dummying to allow Thomas to rifle home.

And Town got their third goal a minute before the break when Goddard collected Slew’s cutback into the box before composing himself and firing under the keeper.

Despite fielding an entirely new XI for the second, half Town were swiftly back in their stride. Four minutes in, the Marine keeper spilled a shot from trialist Zavon Hines but when Mullin looked to pounce, the keeper recovered brilliantly.

However, the visitors did have a fourth goal within 60 seconds when Norris lashed home a good ball from the left from James Brophy.

Marine were determined to make a fight of it, though, and had their best chance so far soon afterwards when TJ Bohane sent a curling effort narrowly wide.

Town pulled further clear on the hour as Mullin got on the scoresheet. The new striker tried to meet Brophy’s cross and although the keeper was able to get in a block, the ball looped up and Mullin twisted well to scissor kick into the bottom corner.

The home side managed to grab a consolation when Parsons made room for himself in the Town box and planted the ball past Lawrence Vigouroux.

It did not take long for normal service to resume as Mullin got his second goal with 15 minutes to play, smashing home Brophy’s drilled cross from the left.

Only a goalline clearance from Mason Hathaway prevented youngster Scott Twine from getting in on the act late on, with the Marine substitute bailing out his keeper after he failed to cut out a through ball.

However, Mullin made no mistake when presented with his chance to get the visitors seventh, completing his treble in the dying stages.

SWINDON SUPERMARINE: Trialist, Else, Morgan, Wood, Taylor (c), Slocombe, Selman, Alexander, Bohane, C Parsons, Campbell. Subs: J Parsons, Westlake, Hooper, Kellow, Kerrish, Hathaway.

SWINDON TOWN FIRST HALF: Henry, Trialist, Lancashire, Conroy, Hussey, Dunne, Thomas, Linganzi, Trialist, Goddard, Trialist. SECOND HALF: Vigouroux, Purkiss, Robertson, Trialist (Young 75) Evans (Twine 80), Trialist, Starkey, Smith, Brophy, Norris, Mullin.