Leverstock Green crashed to their worst defeat of the Steve Heath era as a second half collapse saw them go down 5-0 at home to struggling Hertford Town.

Hertford arrived at Pancake Lane on the back of a five-game losing streak in the league but their side today featured six players signed since their previous match, a 5-0 home defeat to Dunstable Town.

The first half was scrappy and largely forgettable. Hertford looked more like scoring, with Mpumelolo Ndlovu shooting wide after a good move on 20 minutes, and Dave Hunt sliding in to meet a cross from Fardan Campbell on 31 minutes but just failing to make contact. Between those chances both Junior Owusu-Akonor and Adam Hallissey had shots at goal for Leverstock but neither were on target. At this stage there was no sign of what was to transpire after the break.

The second half opened more promisingly for Leverstock. In the opening minute Hertford keeper Jake Knight tried to kick the ball clear but sliced it horribly straight to Lewis Pritchard, who hit it first time, but Knight redeemed himself by making a fantastic one-handed save to keep Pritchard's shot out. A minute later Pritchard was in again, running onto a through ball, but again he was denied by a good save from Knight.

Knight made another save to keep the ball out in a goalmouth scramble from a 53rd minute corner as Leverstock could not capitalise on their good start. Instead they found themselves a goal down two minutes later. A Hertford corner dropped for the unmarked player/manager Marvin Samuel, who hit a shot into a crowd of players on the line, and Hunt managed to force the ball home to open the scoring on 55 minutes.

Worse was to follow five minutes later as Louis West slipped over just outside the box to leave Lee Roberts through on goal to shoot Hertford into a 2-0 lead. In the 64th minute a tame-looking free kick into the box found Carl Tasker and the Green defence leaving it to each other to deal with, and Hunt could hardly believe his luck as he tapped home a third Hertford goal in nine minutes.

Steve Heath responded with a double substitution, bringing on Mark Burfoot and Max Farrelly, returning after a lengthy absence with a groin injury. Within a minute Green were threatening as a free kick found Craig Preston at the far post, but Knight was on hand to save again.

There was to be no comeback, though, from an increasingly dispirited-looking Green side. Tasker made a couple of saves to keep out further goals from the rampant Hertford side, but further embarrassment was heaped on Leverstock in the closing minutes. On 86 minutes a cross to the far post found Roberts in space, and after his first shot was blocked he found the net at the second attempt. Roberts went on to complete his hat-trick in the last minute with a shot from the edge of the box that went in off the post.

It was certainly a hugely encouraging day for Hertford, who will surely move clear of the relegation zone on this evidence, but an inauspicious start to a busy month for the Green, and they will need to pick themselves up quickly with visits coming up from London Tigers on Tuesday and neighbours Berkhamsted next Saturday.