Isthtmian Premier: Wingate & Finchley 4 Corinthian Casuals 1

A hat-trick from long-serving midfielder Ahmet Rifat guided Wingate & Finchley to a 4-1 victory over Corinthian Casuals.

Rifat goals and a late strike from Duane Ofori-Acheampong sealed the Blues three points and moved them up to 13th in the Ishtmian Premier League table.

An early cross from Wingate’s Bilal Sayoud sails into the arms of Casuals goalkeeper Danny Bracken in the fourth minute of play.

The visitors then had their first chance of the contest as Jerson Dos Santos latched on to a ball over the top and rolls it past Dante Baptiste but Charlie Edwards was there to clear it before it crossed the line.

Casuals winger Kieron Cadogan then rose high to meet a free-kick but his header skimmed into the gloves of Baptiste.

In the 39th minute Hakeem Adelakun was judged to have handled a cross while attempting to control the ball on his chest and Wingate were awarded a penalty.

Bracken dove the wrong way as Rifat rolled the ball into the bottom left corner to give the hosts a 1-0 lead heading into the half-time break.

Early in the second-half Casuals Jack Strange headed home from a corner to level the score.

Wingate restored their lead in the 77th minute of play as Luke Ifil’s corner was chested down by Rifat who took a touch before firing into the bottom corner from close range.

Six minutes later Rifat completed his perfect hat-trick as Rifat diverted an inswinging corner from Sayoud as it found him on the line.

Wingate wrapped it up in the 90th minute as Sayoud cut inside and crossed for Ofori-Acheampong who diverts it home at the near post to make it 4-1.

Wingate & Finchley: Baptiste, Doyle, Kissi, Edwards, Eales, Rifat, Ifil (Tejan-Sie 83), Stirling, Ofori-Acheampong, Kabeya (Bakalandwa 65), Sayoud.

Unused subs: Akinde, Bihmoutine, Kennedy.

Corinthian Casuals: Bracken, O’Donoghue (Efambe 85), Adelakun, Strange, Jamison, Ekim, Dos Santos, Serbonji (Pinney 80), Wilson (Bamba 65), Cadogan, Checklit.

Unused subs: Mills and Tucker.