With Halloween in full swing at the Tarmac Silverlands Stadium, Buxton ensured there were no tricks and plenty of treats for the home supporters as they won a six-goal thriller against Marine to continue their strong form.
Just 26 seconds were on the clock when Buxton got off the mark. Sisa Tuntulwana played a delightful outside-of-the-foot pass through to Johnny Johnston, who kept his composure and calmly finished to make it 1-0.
Soon after, Ashton Mee looked to extend the lead, but his tame effort from distance sailed comfortably into the goalkeeper’s hands.
After this, a deep free-kick from near the halfway line caused problems as Finn Cousin-Dawson connected with an outstretched boot, forcing Jack McIntyre into a sharp save.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Cole Simms impressed with his hold-up play before shooting and calling Logan Stretch into action for the first time with a diving stop.
Gradually, Marine began to gain a foothold in the contest, with the Lillywhites getting on top in the midfield battle.
Despite that, Buxton almost doubled their advantage when Weston and Johnston combined on the counter-attack, but Johnston could not find the forward with a ball across the middle. Moments later, a similar situation developed, only this time Weston was unable to pick out Johnston.
Thereafter, Weston tested the goalkeeper again after showing quick feet to create space, although he could not generate enough power and the effort was gathered comfortably.
Following that, a slick passing move threatened for the Bucks after a corner, with Liam Brockbank’s cross eventually finding its way into the path of McIntyre.
Finally, the last chance of the half fell to the home side. A breakaway led by Weston allowed him to play in Scales, but his low effort failed to trouble the goalkeeper.
After the restart, Marine controlled much of the early stages of the second half in what was an edgy spell with few clear-cut opportunities.
However, against the run of play, Buxton extended their lead. A long ball out wide saw Johnston do brilliantly to head beyond the goalkeeper before unselfishly squaring across goal to Weston. His effort was blocked on the line, but Ashton Mee was on hand to fire home the rebound and make it 2-0.
Unfortunately for the hosts, Marine responded quickly. A mistake from Kieran Burton allowed Finlay Sinclair-Smith to break away, and his cross took a deflection before finding its way into the net to halve the deficit.
In the 72nd minute, Buxton restored their two-goal cushion. Brockbank played the ball down the line to Tuntulwana, whose cross found an unmarked Weston, and he made no mistake as he fired home for 3-1.
Nevertheless, Marine struck again late on through substitute George Kattah, whose first touch after coming on saw him smash the ball in off the crossbar after getting beyond Burton.
Ultimately, Buxton sealed the victory in added time. A swift counter-attack saw Sam Aston find the powerful feet of Tuntulwana, and his cross was met by Scales, who tucked home to secure a 4-2 win.
