After impressive recent displays against sides from the top four of the SSML Premier Division, Leverstock Green endured a miserable day at mid-table Holmer Green as they crashed to a six-goal defeat that could easily have been worse. Admittedly Leverstock were without five first-choice players due to a wedding plus the suspended Liam Hind, but it was still a strong enough eleven that took the field at Airedale Park for Saturday's game.

Holmer opened the scoring with a gift of a goal in the third minute. Kieron Jimmy came out of his goal to clear a harmless-looking through ball, but somehow Jimmy and Gavin Smith left the ball to each other to clear, and Andy Shed could hardly believe his luck as he took the ball off them and walked it into the empty net.

Within two minutes Dean Allen took advantage of another mistake to shoot Holmer into a 2-0 lead. The Leverstock defence was so jittery it looked like Holmer could score on every attack. Shed was unlucky to see a shot rattle off the crossbar in the 7th minute, and Allen was denied a second in the 11th minute by a goalline clearance from Mark Shadbolt. Tom Peddle-James had a great shooting opportunity on 13 minutes but shot wide with the whole of the goal to aim at.

Leverstock were fortunate to only be two goals behind instead of five, and an injury to Holmer defender Gary Lines on 20 minutes gave boss for the day Paul Faulkner a chance to give his beleagured side a pep talk. Holmer hit the woodwork again on 24 minutes when Shed connected with a long throw with a looping header that bounced off the top of the crossbar.

Leverstock then had some chances of their own to get back in the game. On 27 minutes Billy Smith beat substitute right-back Ciaran Hawes and went on a great run along the goal line before pulling the ball back for Shakir Agada, who should have scored but pulled his shot wide. On 33 minutes a Chad Pinching free kick was poorly cleared by a defender straight to Billy Smith, but he hit his shot well over the bar.

Neither defence was covering themselves in glory, but the Leverstock defence always looked more vulnerable, and on 38 minutes they conceded a third goal from a free kick given away near the corner flag. The ball was flicked on into the six-yard box and Alex Murray came in to shoot home.

Three down at half time, Leverstock needed an early goal to stand any chance, and they should have got one on 53 minutes when a fine move started by Sledge Mubama finished with Callum Wright putting Pinching through only to shoot wide. Instead of being 3-1, within a minute it was 4-0 as Eliot Derby's pass to Allen easily beat the offside trap and Allen showed how it is done by neatly slotting the ball past Jimmy into the corner of the net.

Allen had his hat-trick four minutes later with the best goal of the day, a lob over Jimmy from the right edge of the box for a 5-0 Holmer lead.

A triple substitution ensued, but the dispirited Leverstock side never looked like pulling back even a consolation goal. Jimmy tipped a shot from Shed over the bar on 63 minutes, but Shed eventually added a sixth for Holmer from the penalty spot on 79 minutes after a foul by Jimmy.

Leverstock must now turn their attention to the St Mary's Cup semi-final on Tuesday night against Herts County League side Bushey Sports Club, where they can keep alive the possibility of ending a difficult season for the club with a trophy.