The weather, happily calm in the north east, was not an issue and the Bucks adapted easily to the plastic pitch, though the higher than normal bounce did create some difficulty as the visitors sought to pass their way towards City's goal to the approval of the substantial travelling faithful.

Nor were Durham totally hopeless. The youthful side, including nine teenagers and two 20-year-olds, worked very hard and passed the ball competently in midfield, but the gulf in class was all too evident in the respective penalty areas.

Nonetheless, the Bucks produced an honest, sustained performance, scoring twice in the opening four minutes, and three in the last ten, while resisting any temptation to show boat or to lack respect for their opponents.

The visitors made a perfect start, taking barely two minutes to open their account. Good work by Gavin Knight and an accurate cross by Joe Wilcox set up a looping Mark Reed header beyond keeper Jobling.

Buxton's next serious attack doubled the lead and again Knight made the assist, heading goalwards a cross from the right to enable midfielder Michael Towey to score on his 200th appearance.

That the Bucks took another 40 minutes to score was as much due to Durham's credit.

A Proffitt cross and an Agus free-kick were dangerous but the defending was better.

Wilcox fired powerfully at Jobling from all of 35 yards before Durham showed some attacking potential around quarter time by forcing two corner kicks. However, when Stoker forged forward into a shooting position he lacked composure and blazed hopelessly wide.

By contrast, one minute prior to the interval, Reed showed how to find the target.

Once again it was Knight who did well with a high Grant Black cross for Reed to turn smartly and finish from close range.

Half time substitutions changed Buxton's personnel, but not the 4-2-4 formation, and left-winger Geoff McGaw produced another promising cameo, setting up the fourth goal and Reed's hat-trick on 67 minutes.

Pace took McGaw to the by-line, and Knight's header from the accurate cross allowed Buxton's record post-war goalscorer to nod the ball home.

At this point a rare Wilcox error gave Durham their best opportunity to score but again composure was lacking.

After 80 minutes, Knight at last got the goal his performance deserved, heading home unchallenged from a Christian Millar right-flank corner, and three minutes later Mark Reed's fourth goal made it 6-0. A Backhouse long kick was moved on by Knight for Reed to net convincingly.

It was Steve Ridley's expertise at an edge-of-penalty-area free kick that completed the score sheet, his cleverly placed low shot cruelly exposing City's naive defending.

Buxton: Backhouse, Black, Anderson, Agus (McGaw 45), Wilcox, Proffitt, Towey (Stevens 45), Millar, Ridley, Knight, Reed. Att: 159.