ILKESTON Town bounced back from their midweek home defeat against Stafford Rangers with a superb win in the north east.

The Robins blew hosts Blyth Spartans away in the opening half-hour with a three-goal blast and could have finished with more than four after an impressive display in the Blue Square North.

Blyth, unbeaten for seven games at home, were ripped apart, with Sam Duncum particularly prominent on the left and Amari Morgan-Smith helping himself to a hat-trick.

Bizarrely, two of Ilkeston's goals came from shots that were going wide and the only disappointment for them was that Blyth were not punished in a second half in which they played with 10 men.

Defender Kenny Boyle was sent off just before the interval for a crunching tackle on David Graham that saw the striker taken off on a stretcher.

The Robins were excellent in the first half and Graham had already seen a goal-bound shot blocked by Chris McCabe when Morgan-Smith struck the seventh-minute opener.

Tom Bonner's cross from the left fell for Graham, whose hooked shot was going wide until redirected into the net by Morgan-Smith.

Ilkeston doubled their lead after quarter of an hour when a deep Bonner cross was met by Graham beyond the far post and he pulled the ball back for the unmarked Morgan-Smith to tap home his second.

Blyth were struggling to repel the Robins but Dan Lowson had to be quick off his line to clear from former Newcastle Blue Star team-mate Paul Brayson.

Spartans, beaten 4-0 at Telford in the FA Cup on Tuesday, were struggling and Morgan-Smith almost completed his hat-trick with a shot that flew inches wide.

The 20-year-old turned provider for Ilkeston's third goal as he cut inside to lay the ball off to Neil Hooks.

The midfielder's shot was wayward but Graham was on hand to finish from 10 yards to leave an outplayed Blyth with a mountain to climb.

There were two further blows for the shell-shocked hosts before the interval with striker Ian Graham limping off with an ankle injury and Boyle seeing red.

In such circumstances, the second half was always likely to be a foregone conclusion – damage limitation for the home side while the Robins looked for more goals.

Central defender Alan Mitchell headed wide when well placed two minutes after the restart and Morgan-Smith's downward header from Hooks' corner was cleared off the line by Gareth Williams.

The lively Duncum left full-back Stephen Harrison for dead just before the hour and rolled the ball across the face of goal for another simple finish for Morgan-Smith.

The former Wolves trainee will score more eye-catching hat-tricks but he was in the right place at the right time and deserved the match ball.

Hooks then shot just over the bar from the edge of the box, while Brayson and John Alexander combined for Harrison to shoot across the face of goal at the other end.

Morgan-Smith could have got his fourth goal after 70 minutes when left with only Mark Bell to beat but the Spartans keeper saved with his legs.

It was 10-man Blyth who had the final say with an 84th-minute consolation goal when Adie Webster headed a Brayson cross into the far corner.

BLYTH SPARTANS: Bell, Harrison, Boyle, Tait, Williams, Craddock, McCabe, Turnbull, Brayson, I Graham (Alexander, 33), Doninger (Webster, 56). Other subs: Norton, Gillies, Todd.

ILKESTON TOWN: Lowson, Holmes, Bonner, Hooks, Mitchell, Waterfall, Beecroft, Dempsey, D Graham (Palmer, 42), Morgan-Smith (Harris, 78), Duncum (Green, 87). Other subs: Coombs, Burge.

REFEREE: J Corkhill (Cumbria).

ATTENDANCE: 562.