The Manchester outfit strengthened their position in the Pitching In Northern Premier League top five and also markedly improved their goal difference.

Stephen Walker wasted a glorious early chance for Whitby to create some early nerves for United and Liddle's side pads the price when Louis White guided an effort into the bottom corner to put his team in front after 14 minutes.

Liam Hardy added a second just a minute later after Whitby defender Kasper Williams gifted possession away on the edge of his own area and White made sure of the victory with a back-post follow-up shortly after half-time.

United, with Whitby deflated and outclassed, improved their goal difference even further when defender Sam Baird struck on the hour mark, turning in a left-wing corner, before Jason Gilchrist completed the rout with a close-range finish in the 69th minute.

Under the stewardship of Liddle and Jason Kennedy, Whitby have been a team fuelled by team spirit and togetherness and they have always been in matches in the first three months of the duo's leadership, but this was a chastening lesson in the scale of the gulf between where they are and where they want to be.

Town saw off a side below them in the table in the previous outing but Ashton showed exactly why they are well and truly in with a shout of claiming a play-off birth.

Whitby showed one or two early signs of promise but their current standing was illustrated in this match as they were over-run by a United side simply operating on a different level.

The travelling Seasiders' supporters understood that their side were well beaten and had few complaints with the final outcome but they certainly realised the big gulf in class between themselves and the league's promotion chasers.

Ashton were utterly dominant and the final scoreline was a realistic reflection of just how far behind Whitby are as plans already turn towards assembling a competitive squad in the off-season.