Depleted by suspensions and injury, it was the Blues who conjured up the opening chance on five minutes. A quick through ball released Ashley Higgins down the left, and though he managed to get to the ball ahead of the onrushing keeper, he could only poke it wide of the left hand upright.
On ten minutes Bootle took the lead with their first real attack. Tom Obasi showed a neat turn of pace to fly into the area down the left and unleash a powerful shot. Chris Thompson produced a smart save but could only divert the ball into the path of the lurking Anthony Hickey, who couldn't miss from four yards.
Ten minutes later the Bucks doubled their lead, the Nelson defence standing off as Chris Tyson drove across Thompson from the left edge of the area into the top right hand corner of the net.
On 25 minutes, Nelson really should have reduced the arrears when a breakaway saw the ball bounce to Marcus Calvert by the penalty spot, but his snap shot could only find its way straight to the keeper.
Worse was to come straight from the keeper's long punt forward, as the ball bounced over the Nelson defence and into the path of Hickey, who coolly slotted home beneath the advancing Thompson.
Within two minutes of the restart, Bootle added a fourth when Adam Whiteside was dispossessed inside his area by Obasi, and he played a measured pass back across to Danny O'Connor, who placed his shot in the bottom left hand corner.
Hickey was given the chance to grab his hat-trick for Bootle midway through the half following the award of a very soft penalty, but Thompson was equal to his spot kick and dived well to his right to push the ball away from goal.
Nelson were struggling, and the home side put the gloss on a dominant second half performance by grabbing their fifth and final goal when Obasi cut inside from the right to the centre and powered home into the left hand corner from just inside the area.
The Blues wrap up their season this Saturday afternoon when they welcome 2009 FA Vase finalists Glossop North End to Victoria Park. The match will be followed by a Presentation evening in the clubhouse from 6pm.
