Hardly Athletic were unable to get themselves off the mark for the season after throwing away another lead before losing comfortably to Real Unfit by 5 goals to one.
Hardly had to call upon Lee Matthews and the Joe Gordon, still way short of full fitness after a knee injury, to try and bolster a squad that lost last week after a fresher opposition made them pay late on but it was to no avail.
Chris Cope, just as he did last week, opened the scoring when he found the corner of the net after five minutes but hardly found themselves behind at the break as two powerfully struck shots turned the game on its head.
A third was added shortly after the break when a deflected shot spun straight into the path of a striker and he was able to roll the ball into the net, with Dale unable to readjust and get across to save the shot.
Fourth and fifth goals were added late on as Hardly pushed to try and get back in the game but were unable to repeat the performance and result that saw them defeat Real Unfit 3-0 late last season, when the ref abandoned the game late on after an Unfit player attacked two Athletic stars.