The first team might be struggling for goals but Albion's Reserves are having no difficulty finding the net.

Joe Gatting helped himself to five as they continued their prolific run in the Pontin's Holiday Combination League with a remarkable 8-2 romp against Queens Park Rangers at Woodside Road last night.

As if the result was not embarrassing enough for Rangers they also finished the match with only nine men, goalkeeper Jake Cole and striker Romone Rose seeing red in the second half.

It was Albion's third convincing victory in succession after despatching leaders Southampton 3-0 at home earlier this month and last week's 4-1 triumph away to Crystal Palace.

Gatting and fellow forward Nathan Elder bagged two apiece in that match and they caused havoc again as Albion wrapped the game up with three goals by half-time.

They went ahead in the 15th minute with a slick move. Elder released Gary Hart down the right and his cross was headed in by the unmarked Gatting, his eighth goal of the campaign for the Reserves.

Elder, not to be outdone, joined his partner on the eight goal mark in the 28th minute.

Sam Rents, playing the holding role in the midfield diamond, put Elder away with a defence-splitting pass and the former Billericay marksman's neat angled lob from close range left Cole rooted to the spot.

Alex Frutos got in on the act a minute from the break. The Frenchman, brought down inside the box by Aaron Goode, picked himself up to convert the penalty into the roof of the net.

There was no let-up from Albion in the second half, Hart increasing the lead eight minutes into the restart with a volley from point blank range when Elder headed a Kerry Mayo free-kick across the face of goal.

Gatting held off his marker to slot No. 5 past Cole in the 61st minute. Stefan Moore scrambled a goal back for the visitors three minutes later but that was merely the prelude to more humiliation.

Gatting completed his hat-trick on 71 minutes, heading into the empty net after Cole could only parry Hart's shot.

Rangers were reduced to ten men a couple of minutes later. Rose, already booked, received a second yellow card for a foul on Hart. Ten men became nine within two more minutes whenthe unfortunate Cole was sent off for deliberate handball outside his area.

The first task for replacement keeper Chris Goodchild was picking the ball out of his net as Gatting drilled in the resulting free-kick.

Gatting lobbed home his fifth, and Albion's eighth, with eight minutes remaining before Rohan Ricketts hit a late second for Rangers.

The unassuming Gatting, on target five times in 29 first team appearances this season, said: "I have scored a couple of fours for the youth team and I've scored seven before for my Sunday team Hove Rivervale when I was younger.

"I was lucky to be in the right positions when the ball came to me. It would be nice to one day hopefully transfer the goals to the first team."

Albion Reserves (4-1-2-1-2): Kuipers; P. Hinshelwood, Breach, Elphick, Mayo; Rents; Loft, Frutos; Hart; Elder, Gatting. Subs: Skinner for Loft (injured, 60), Gargan for Elder (withdrawn, 82), J. Martin for Hart (withdrawn, 90), Cobbs, Sullivan.