HAVERHILL Rovers' season didn't come to a good end as their fellow Suffolk opponents had their most clinical day in front of goal.
The away side's demise was almost planned from the start with just 12 men making the journey eastwards and three of the players, two in the starting line-up, having played 90 minutes in the Suffolk Senior Reserve Cup Final the previous evening.
Th
ey were also aware that to preserve their ninth position in the table they needed to lose by less than five goals.
The first goal for the hosts came after 24 minutes, the first of a ten-minute spell that gave Leiston a 4-0 half-time lead.
Blake Saker's 25-yard drive came off the inside of the far left post and went straight to Danny Cunningham leaving away captain Marcus Hunt no option other than to bring him down.
Cunningham stepped up to score from the resultant penalty kick.
Two minutes later Cunningham was involved in the build-up for Leiston's second, a nice interchange of passes ending with his cross going to Kelsey Trotter on the far right side of the penalty area, Trotter's volley into the ground bouncing into the bottom left corner and past the helpless Jamie Smith.
It was 3-0 when Cunningham went down under the faintest of challenges from Gareth Thomas.
The referee awarded a second penalty and Cunningham again got up to score.
The final first half goal came in the 34th minute, the ball being put out to the right for Michael Brothers to fire a low shot across goal and into the far bottom left corner.
The home side netted their fifth goal on the hour mark.
After a cut back by Brothers, substitute Chris Allen's low shot was cut out but the ball fell to goalscorer Saker.
Haverhill put together some good moves and pulled a goal back in the 70th minute when Marc Abbott's low cross was spilled by goalkeeper Jamie Stannard and Paul Shaw netted the rebound.
Leiston's five-goal lead was restored in the 86th minute when, with the defence static, Allen squared the ball for unmarked fellow substitute Gavin Crane to put the ball past Smith.
Cunningham was denied his hat-trick in added time when Allen went down long after Smith dived towards the ball, but a third penalty kick was awarded and Cunningham put the ball wide on this occasion.
ECHO MAN OF THE MATCH: Marc Abbott. On a bad day for several players he ran tirelessly up front to create opportunities and chase the ball back when it was in Leiston's possession.
ROVERS (4-4-1-1): Smith; P Abbott, Hunt (c), Thomas, Thurlbourne; Kent, Challis, Harvey, Halls; M Abbott; Shaw. Sub not used: Frazier.
The full article contains 465 words and appears in Haverhill Echo newspaper.
