Wingate and Finchley cruised to a 4-1 victory over Corinthian-Casuals on Tuesday night at the Maurice Rebak Stadium in the Isthmian Premier Division.
A Hat trick from club legend Ahmet Rifat followed by a strike from Duane Ofori-Acheampong gave the home side all three points lifting them to 13th in the division.
The first chance of any note came in the 6th minute when Wingate goalkeeper Dante Baptiste had to be alive to thwart a close range effort from Jerson Dos Santos.
The debutant goalkeeper, on loan from Watford, then worked wonders again in the 32nd minute producing a magnificent double save.
The first a close range volley the 19 year old managed to get a strong boot to, then the ball was struck from the edge of the box and Baptiste was there again to divert the ball round the post.
Cool Penalty
Wingate took the lead in the 39th minute when Hakeem Adelakun was judged to have handled the ball in the area.
The reliable Rifat stepped up cooly before dispatching the penalty into the bottom corner, leaving Bracken diving the opposite way.
Casuals had a chance to equalise just before half time but were denied once more by the impressive Baptiste who made a fantastic one handed save in the top corner.
Immediately after the break Ofori-Acheampong had the chance to double Wingates lead. However the front man managed to fluff his lines whilst only having Bracken to beat.
The away side capitalised on Ofori-Acheampong miss instantly, as Jack Strange headed home superbly from a corner.
Hat-Trick
Wingate re-took the lead with 12 minutes to go, when Rifat took Luke Ifil’s corner down onto his chest before rifling the ball into the bottom corner.
The hat trick was completed five minutes later when Rifat met Bilal Sayoud’s in swinging corner giving Spencer Knight’s men a two goal cushion with seven minutes to go.
It was made 4-1 in the 90th minute when Ofori-Acheampong met Sayoud’s low cross diverting the ball into the back of the net.
The result means it is three wins from four for Wingate and Finchley, with their next game coming a week on Saturday when they travel to Coggeshall Town in the FA Trophy.