Import Lewis McMahon grabbed the headlines again for Floreat Athena, smashing a first-half hat-trick past sorry Armadale in a 6-1 rout at Alfred Skeet Reserve yesterday.

Having given the visitors a fifth-minute lead, McMahon could only look on a minute later as Army levelled from the spot through Jackson Bealey.

But three goals in a blistering seven minute spell - one from Blair Govan and two from McMahon - midway through the half effectively ended the game as a contest, with Ashley Corker adding two more after the break before seeing red for needlessly lashing out in the closing stages.

McMahon took his tally to 10 goals from seven games since arriving from England and was quick to heap praise on his new teammates for helping him make such an immediate impact.

"The guys are making my job easy. They're playing to my feet; to my strengths" McMahon said. "I'm never going to be able to run in behind and chase, I'm too old now and slow.

"But there's some fit young lads here making runs off me and it's fantastic. I'm really enjoying playing with them.”

Although reaching the end-of-season Finals series is not yet mathematically impossible for Floreat, coach Glenn Grostate was keen to look ahead to next season where he believes they will be well set to be contenders towards the top of the ladder if the bulk of the squad remains together.

"I thought we played really well here, we moved the ball quickly. The game plan was to win both halves and we did that," Grostate said.

"We're training well, we're digging in. Everyone's laughing and mucking around and we want to end the season nicely and start again."

The game itself started at a frantic pace, Faustinho Machochi threatening first for Armadale with a low shot across goal which keeper Yousri Gharasallah touched before Athena went down the other end and from a corner took the lead.

Ludo Boi's centre found Andrew Scaldaferro, who headed the ball goalwards where McMahon was waiting to pounce almost from point-blank range to apply the finish.

A minute later, though, Army were awarded a penalty when Kye Douglas fouled James Atkins in the box, with Bealey stepping up to level.

And had Atkins made the most of a gilt-edged chance when unmarked at the back-post, the hosts’ afternoon could have been so very different. Instead the big forward skied his shot out of the ground.

And Athena did not look back, Boi delivering a low cross for Govan to side-foot home from a metre out to regain the lead on 26 minutes.

On the half hour mark it was 3-1, McMahon again on hand with the final touch after a round of headed pinball in the penalty box.

And two minutes later McMahon completed his treble with his best goal of the afternoon, playing a one-two on the edge of the area before striking a low shot into the right hand corner of the net beyond Matthew Gould.

Armadale's inability to cope with crosses was exploited again after the break, Ashley Corker on hand to bundle home another low ball from Boi on 58 minutes as fears grew of the home side suffering a second seven-goal mauling in a week.

Corker was there again with eight minutes left, adding the final touch from a corner at the far post as Athena made it six.

But Corker did not see out the game as he lost his head and attempted to strike out at an Army player while waiting to defend a free-kick to dampen an otherwise excellent afternoon's work.

Armadale boss Lee Bamber could only bemoan his side's defending but was pleased with the opening 20 minutes in which he felt his side could have had three goals.

"We keep pointing out the naivety of the youngsters. If we keep doing the wrong things we'll get punished for it," Bamber said.

"It's alright playing well for 20-25 minutes but we've got to do it for 90 minutes."

ARMADALE 1 (Bealey 6 pen)
FLOREAT ATHENA 6 (McMahon 5, 30, 32, Govan 26, Corker 58, 82)
Saturday August 2, 2014
Alfred Skeet Reserve, Forrestdale
Referee: Tim MIHEVC
Crowd: 150 approx.

ARMADALE: 20. (GK) Matthew GOULD, 4. Billy QUINNCROFT, 10. James ATKINS, 5. Nathan COSTELLO, 2. Jackson BEALEY, 8. Josh KUSER, 12. Jett SHAW (11. Dannie RICHMAN 63'), 17. Alex CLARKE (9. Rav KUPPUSAMY 50'), 14. Mitch CASTRILLI (6. Lyon VARNEY 75'), 7. Faustinho MACHOCHI, 13. Sam LOVELESS.
SUBSTITUTES NOT USED: 3. Dylan EASTHOUGH, 1. Jordan HOWELL
YELLOW CARDS: Castrilli 39, Machochi 61.

FLOREAT ATHENA: 99. (GK) Yousri GHARASALLAH, 2. Blair GOVAN, 8. Bobby WILSON, 17. Callum FRANSZ, 6. Kye DOUGLAS (11. Cameron YORKE 61'), 10 Aryn WILLIAMS (Nicholas PSANOUDAKIS 84'), 14. Ludovic BOI, 3. Jack ALLEN (13. Matthew FRANKEN 79'), 16. Ashley CORKER, 15. Andrew SCALDAFERRO, 20. Lewis McMAHON.
SUBSTITUTES NOT USED: 23. Tom DIXON, 19. Rayhahn ADOLPHUS
YELLOW CARDS: Douglas 6, Allen 40.
RED CARD: Corker 88.