City of Manchester 2nd 1 Knutsford 4

SAM Bowker's hat-trick sent Knutsford to the top of the table on Sunday, when they extended a winning sequence to eight matches.

Title-rivals Keswick are only a point adrift, but have a game in hand.

"Promotion is in our hands," reflected captain Dave Price afterwards.

A trip to fourth-placed Neston South Wirral seconds, the Black Knights' penultimate fixture in North West League Division Two this term, awaits this this weekend.

Knutsford, depleted by absences, took the lead when Tom Lewis switched to Price.

He supplied a pass Bowker converted calmly.

A second goal ought to have followed after Mat Hodge's shot was blocked illegally on the line, only for Price's penalty to hit an upright.

He made amends when converting a short corner soon afterwards.

City of Manchester halved the deficit from a set piece of their own, shooting past unsighted Knutsford goalkeeper Tom Wright.

However the visitors needed only two minutes after the interval to restore a two-goal advantage, when Bowker capitalised on a defensive error.

He celebrated a personal treble when he cleverly deflected Price's drag-flick into the net to make it 4-1.

The Black Knights, only two short of a century of goals in the league this season, did not ease off.

Keelan Sherwani's pace unsettled the hosts' defence, although they avoided conceding again before full time.

It completed a successive weekend for Knutsford, who had despatched Lancaster University 3-0 on Saturday.