Hardly earnt their third victory in four weeks to go into the mid season break just two points away from getting off the bottom of the league.
After a terrible start to the season Hardly have had a fairly settled side of late and the results are now starting to come, with Athletic leading this match against third from bottom Real Unfit by three goals to nil, and looking comfortable, when the ref abandoned the game due to violent conduct from a Real player.
Hardly started positively and, after a poor pass seconds after kick off nearly saw them go a goal down, they were in front less than two minutes in as Cope found the net.
The lead was doubled just two minutes later as Hallam found the bottom corner from the edge of the box as Hardly poured forward.
The first set of subs didn't change the way the game was going with Hardly having shot after shot saved by the Real keeper as they looked to pull away and get themelves out of sight.
Just before half time there was a spanner thrown into the works as Matthew Young was sin binned for four minutes, purely for the comment 'are you watching the game ref!' after a tackle flew in on the Athletic stars knee.
Hardly had to dig deep but kept the opposition at bay whilst down to four men and when he returned to the pitch three and a half minutes after the start of the second half the match would soon descend into chaos.
Whilst neat passing around the area ended with Hallam blasting in his second, and Hardly's third, there was a confrontation between Young and another Real player, with the opponent pushing at the Hardly star.
Second later a ball played down the line saw Buxton and the same Real player battle for the ball and when Buxton outmuscled his opponent and managed to knock the ball away the Real player lashed out from behind the Athletic man, punching the Hardly defender on the ear, and making him fall to the ground.
He was immediatelty sent off by the ref and on his way decided to renew his battle with Young, punching the Hardly man in the neck, with the ref then deciding enough was enough and abandoning the game, and with the result standing Hardly claimed three ore points but were disappointed they never had the chance to improve their goal difference in a game they dominated throughout.