Town fell to another hefty defeat at Hykeham, a ground where they have been on the wrong end of some big scorelines over the past decade or so, and where success has been somewhat limited.

Manager Paul Johnson sent out a decent line-up, although there was a change to the format. With Michael Harness and Tommy Chalk (above) as the front duo, Terry Marshall started on the right flank. He worked hard enough but despite being given a free range he made little headway.

Andy Lowe continued in goal while Steve Brown was at right-back, switching to midfield later in the proceedings and giving a good account of himself .

There is no doubt that the 6-0 result hardly explains the true nature of events, with Johnson's side deservedly holding their hosts to a goal-less first half.

Hykeham had much the better of the attacking play in that first period, and although they are renowned for their direct approach on their own ground, they did play some neat one-touch football as they approached the Town area.

The damage was done in a crazy six minutes at the start of the second period during which time Hykeham netted three times, goals coming on 47, 49 and 51 minutes. That more or less ended any hopes that the Horncastle side might have held of gaining something from the game and it became a question of leaving with a modicum of respectability. Even that hope was dashed as the home side doubled their tally.

An injury to left-back Andy Cooling brought some positional changes at the break, which included a switch by Marshall into a more direct attacking role. However, before the changes had any time to take effect, Hykeham had sent the game beyond reach with those three quick strikes.

Team boss Johnson was understandably disappointed at the final scoreline.

"We played really well in the first half, doing all that was necessary to restrict their chances. What happened immediately after half-time was quite uncanny, as they suddenly found another gear and caught us absolutely cold."

This Saturday, Lincoln Moorlands Railway Reserves visit the Wong for a League Challenge cup-tie, (2.30pm).