Victory for Eric Gilchrist's troops at Dimple Wells last night (Thursday) would have all-but given them the fourth and final play-off spot going in to the final round of matches this weekend.

But now Albion will need to beat Radcliffe Borough in their final match on Saturday (kick-off 3pm) and rely on Clitheroe to do them a favour by beating their Lancashire rivals.

Albion's fate was in their own hands going in to the vital clash, mainly thanks to a 2-1 victory over Bamber in the reverse fixture in Lancashire last weekend.

But five goals in 40 second-half minutes, and Albion's biggest defeat of the season, have given the Dimple Wells club an uphill task of finishing in the play-offs.

Bridge enjoyed the better of the first half exchanges as Neil Bennett was forced in to a fine save to deny an Alex Porter free-kick before Stephen Brown saw his in-swinging corner headed off the line by Dave Syers.

But for all Bamber's possession, it was Albion who may have felt unfortunate to go in on level terms as Shane Kelsey fired wide when one-on-one with the visiting 'keeper when he should have done better.

And Bamber stopper Terry McCormick had to be in tip-top form to deny Darrell Jenkinson with a powerful header.

But where both defences seemed to have the upper hand in the first half, Bamber's attacking qualities came to the fore front in the second, as Stephen Brown opened the scoring five minutes after the restart with a thunderbolt volley.

Albion needed to hit back, but they were dealt another blow just six minutes later as Ryan Salmon doubled the visitors' lead with a superb effort from the edge of the box which gave Bennett no chance.

The two-goal deficit forced Albion to show some more attacking endeavour, but Steve West couldn't make the most of two close-range headers from set-pieces.

And Bamber all-but secured their vital three points on 77 minutes as Salmon bagged his second of the match with a clinical finish, before Porter and Brown both added to the scoresheet late on to make the scoreline more flattering for the visitors.

Albion now go in to the final match of the season with their fate out of their own hands, but will still be hoping to have the last laugh by grabbing the final play-off spot.

For all the latest UniBond League news, reports and previews, see today's Wakefield Express Sport.