STRIKER Liam Hearn's goal tally hit 21 on Saturday as he found the key to the door to unlock his old club yet again.

Another brace for the man signed from Alfreton in the summer took his season's tally past 20 in all competitions and made it six goals in two games against his former employers this season, in a pair of 5-2 triumphs.

And he could, in truth, have added to his haul of hat-tricks this season at the Impact Arena, particularly in a first-half where he terrorised the team he helped win last season's Blue Square Bet North.

Ex-Town boss Nicky Law knows full well how lethal Hearn can be but his team had no answer as the forward spearheaded Town into a comfortable first-half lead and set the tone for a fourth straight league win for the first time in four years.

It's no wonder there are already transfer rumours doing the rounds of potential suitors for the 26-year-old.

Town will want to hold on to their prize asset, though, and hope he can lead them to success like he did with Alfreton a year earlier.

The form of both Hearn – scoring for the fourth consecutive outing – and the team, now unbeaten in nine league games, certainly suggests the possibility.

Ahead of the first competitive meeting at the Impact Arena, Town were boosted after skipper Craig Disley was passed fit in midfield but Anthony Church was a late withdrawal against his old club with a back problem.

The bosses drafted in youngster Andi Thanoj alongside Disley as one of two changes to the side that beat Lincoln on New Year's Day.

Bradley Wood began a two-match ban meaning a recall for Gary Silk.

New signing Kiernan Hughes-Mason was on the bench.

It was the home side who started brightly, Nathan Arnold's low effort inside the box forcing James McKeown to save at his near post with his feet.

From the resulting corner, Town broke and ex-Red Hearn battled to keep the ball on the right before squaring for Frankie Artus.

He ran onto the ball to side-foot wildly over from 16 yards when he should have at least tested home stopper Joe Day.

But Day was beaten by Hearn on 11 minutes.

Conor Townsend sprayed a lovely ball from the left to Hearn in the right-hand channel, and he took it down cutely before shifting onto his left foot and firing low into the bottom corner with the aid of a deflection.

There were muted celebrations from the frontman who spent a successful three years at the Derbyshire club and had received a warm welcome from the home fans before the game.

It could have been even better for Town two minutes later when Anthony Elding got clear in behind the Reds back-line with a superb first-touch only for the second to be a weak effort straight at Day.

And Artus had an even better chance to score on 23 minutes after another flowing move down the right.

Coulson hit the by-line and crossed low and after it evaded Hearn at the near post the Bristolian found himself unmarked to tap home but, albeit slightly behind him, he somehow could only trickle it into the diving Day's arms.

The second did come on 29 minutes and, inevitably, Hearn was involved again as his rasping far post shot from a deep Artus cross was diverted in by a prostrate Coulson – he certainly claimed it as it hit the net

The deficit was halved four minutes later by the lively Arnold.

It was sloppy defending from Town who allowed the frontman the freedom to turn and shoot low in the box and wrong-foot an angry McKeown.

The home team had renewed belief and there was a big scare for Town when Anthony Wilson went down as he tried to round McKeown; the home fans appealing for a penalty which it may well have been with a clip from the keeper.

But McKeown reacted angrily and referee Michael Bull agreed, showing a yellow card to the Reds forward for diving. It could have been 2-2, but instead it was 3-1 within a minute as Hearn doubled his account.

A fantastic searching ball over the top from Thanoj found Hearn, and when Day raced out all the striker needed to do was get there first and he duly obliged by tapping it past the keeper and rolling it into the empty net. Hearn was unplayable again and ran diagonally across the field to fire another fine effort just past the upright, and then out-muscled his man to send a half-volley dipping just over.

Alfreton were forced into a strange change for the second half. With keeper Day injuring his groin, and no reserve on the home bench, ex-Town man Greg Young stepped in between the sticks as Matt Wilson came on.

It was Town's regular stopper who had the first scare of the second half, though, when his misjudged punch from a corner went backwards towards goal and only the alertness of the impressive Scott Garner, also against his old side, saw it cleared off the line.

Young was rarely tested but showed his lack of goalkeeping credentials just after the hour when he flapped at a cross from the right and only palmed it to Elding.

He fired back at goal and while Young got down to block, the loose ball fell to Garner just yards out and he made sure in front of more than 1,000 travelling Mariners.

McKeown had to be alert to dive well to his right and parry a header from a whipped in free-kick to maintain Town's three-goal advantage as the game moved into the final 20 minutes. However, it was back to two on 73 minutes, and it was a simple goal for substitute Matt Wilson, a header unchallenged at the back post from a corner.

Rob Duffy, pictured left, replaced Elding before the restart.

The score-line needed one more Town goal to mirror the one at Blundell Park and it was Duffy who made it reality with Town's fifth ten seconds from the end of normal time.

He out-muscled defender Adam Quinn and robbed him of possession before coolly slotting it underneath Young and in off the far post.

There was still time for a debut in added time for Hughes-Mason – though his shirt had his doubled barrel surname the other way round.

As the whistle sounded, though, the name on everyone's lips again was that man Hearn's.