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Tomlinson returned to the club from Frickley Athletic last month but has been forced to bide his time to play due to the lockdown.

He played in the inter-squad friendly before striking the crossbar twice against Parkgate ahead of his treble against the Briggers on Saturday.

“It’s been good for Ben to play off Gav [Allott],” said Parry. “Ben has filled in down the middle, so it’s good for him to play off the striker – I think the way we’ve played today has suited him.

“It’s good for him to get some game time and get him up to speed; he will need more games to get him even better.

“If that’s a glimpse of what he can do, getting a hat-trick and finishing-wise, then it will give us a great boost.

“His neat finishing and the bullet header he scored could be a learning curve for any aspiring strikers. He shows that if you get the chance, hit the target: it brings you goals and that’s what he has done today.

Vaughan Redford managed to get onto the scoresheet twice after a fantastic performance.Redford netted eight goals from his opening four appearances but hasn’t scored since.

“I can tell you that [Redford] does not lack confidence,” said Parry, “Sometimes it is bringing out that confidence. It's good to see him on the scoresheet.

“We played him just in behind today and that’s the good thing about Vaughan, he can play two or three positions in the front four."