AWESOME' was how Peter Beadle described this display and it was hard to argue with the manager after watching County demolish a sorry Weston-super-Mare outfit at Spytty Park yesterday afternoon.

A bumper New Year's Day crowd of 1,030 soon forgot all about their hangovers as the Exiles blew away the cobwebs with a stunning display of attacking football resulting in a scoreline which, if anything, flattered the visitors.

It really could have been seven or eight, so rampant were Beadle's men against Weston's makeshift defence and this is a performance that sends out a message of intent to their promotion rivals in the Blue Square South: County mean business in 2008.

The star of the show was winger Jason Bowen who grabbed his 50th goal for the club in the 50th minute.

The veteran wideman, 35, was the brightest star in a brilliant team display and took his goal superbly well to put him joint third in the all-time County goalscoring charts, behind only Chris Lilygreen and Garry Shephard and level with Karl Bayliss.

Ian Hillier started the rout in only the second minute of the match when referee Tim Lawrence, who didn't make himself popular with either set of supporters, awarded County a dubious free-kick around 25 yards from the Weston goal.

As the visitors hurriedly organised a defensive wall, Lee Fowler nudged the ball into Hillier's path and the centre half thumped it unceremoniously into the right-hand corner of keeper Ryan Northwood's net.

County had to wait until the 28th minute for number two but they quickly established their superiority over their near-neighbours with a neat, patient passing game and some superb link-up play between Hughes, Griffin, Bowen and Richard Evans.

And it was Griffin who doubled the lead, racing onto a weak defensive header from Weston captain Andrew Gurney which never had the pace to get back to Northwood.

Griffin, by contrast, was too quick for Curtis Ujah, who was struggling with an injury, and he calmly clipped the ball over Northwood.

Aaron Legister registered Weston's first attempt on target on 32 minutes but County continued to pour forward and Hughes should have made it 3-0 in the 37th minute when Bowen's shot was saved and he spooned over the rebound from six yards out.

Hughes, Bowen, Davies and Hughes again went close moments later and Evans was unlucky not to add his name to the scoresheet after skipping past two defenders and firing just over the bar as the half drew to a close.

There was no let up from the Exiles after the break with Bowen putting the result beyond doubt five minutes in when he found himself unmarked in the penalty area and looked suspiciously offside. Ignoring the protests he controlled the ball brilliantly and lobbed the hapless Northwood with the greatest of ease for his landmark strike.

Three minutes later it was four when Damon Searle found Griffin who sidefooted home from 15 yards and if this was a boxing match the referee would have stopped the contest at this point.

As it was a punch-drunk Weston struggled on with Hughes hitting the bar and Bowen denied a second by Northwood's fingertips before Nathan Davies landed the knockout blow on 87 minutes with a beautiful curling effort from 20 yards.

County: Thomspon, Jenkins (Dodds, 74), Searle, Davies, Jarman, Hillier, Bowen, Fowler, Griffin (Alsop, 69), Hughes (Clarke, 65), Evans. Unused subs: Simpson, Pennock.

Weston: Northwood, Green, McConnell (Heal, 65), Ujah (Powell, 30), Gurney, Robertson, Loxton, Wilson, Hopkins, Yao, Legister (Sherwood, 70). Unused subs: Whittington, Grubb Booked: Gurney, 60, dissent.

Referee: Tim Lawrence (Bridgwater) Attendance: 1,030