Buxton responded to their midweek disappointment in style, securing a dominant 5-1 victory away at Rushall Olympic.
The Bucks controlled possession early on at Dales Lane but initially struggled to carve out clear-cut chances. Luke Brennan looked to pick out Johnny Johnston in the box, but Rushall goalkeeper Paul White was quick off his line to claim the cross.
The hosts registered their first effort in the 12th minute when Omari Sterling-James struck a shot straight into the hands of Buxton’s on-loan Manchester City goalkeeper, True Grant.
Ten minutes later, Grant was called into action again, comfortably gathering Joseph Hull’s header from a free-kick.
At the other end, Josh Popoola came close for Buxton, glancing a header narrowly wide from a corner.
Rushall then had a golden opportunity to take the lead after 25 minutes when Aaron Forde found space on the left side of the box, but Grant reacted swiftly, making himself big to deny the midfielder.
Buxton soon began to ramp up the pressure. Tommy Elliott set up Popoola, whose deflected shot was put behind for a corner.
Moments later, Johnston broke quickly after winning the ball back, only for White to race off his line and deny him.
The breakthrough finally came in the 34th minute. Brennan’s well-delivered corner found the towering Kieran Burton, who powered home a header to make it 1-0.
Buxton wasted no time doubling their lead, striking again just three minutes later. Brennan played in Dermi Lusala, whose cross was expertly finished by Johnston.
The Bucks were relentless, and before the break, Brennan got in on the act himself, curling a sublime free-kick into the net to send his side into halftime with a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Buxton picked up where they left off after the restart, adding a fourth in the 52nd minute. A corner was flicked into the box by Bobby Faulkner, and while Josh Williams saw his volleyed effort saved, Popoola reacted quickest to stretch and turn in the rebound.
Popoola nearly bagged a second when Johnston slid the ball across to him inside the box, but his low effort rolled just wide of the post.
Rushall pulled one back in the 63rd minute, with substitute Milan Lalkovic beating his man before drilling a powerful finish past Grant.
However, Buxton remained in control and continued to push forward in search of more goals. They were rewarded when Popoola was brought down in the box by White, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the penalty spot.
On his full debut, Oliver Ewing stepped up and confidently converted from 12 yards, sealing his first goal for the club and wrapping up an emphatic 5-1 win on the road.
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