John Robson couldn't help but feel sorry for Fleet Town as his Bashley side tore into them 7-0 at the Recreation Ground yesterday to keep their promotion hopes alive.
While Bash are still in with an outside chance of a top-eight finish, Fleet's only hope of escaping the relegation trap door is if there are shortage of feeder league sides able to come up.
"We did a professional job, end of story," said Robson. "But I did feel sorry for Fleet.
"We had to win the game today and we did, but I'd rather it had been against anyone but them."
Fleet were mathematically doomed before kick-off and, by the time the ninth minute had ticked by, they were already 3-0 down.
Bash skipper Danny Gibbons took just 45 seconds to head home Dave Wakefield's cross and then Wakefield himself struck with a low shot from the edge of the box.
Man-of-the-match Stuart Cannie made it three with a deflected shot past under-pressure keeper Calvin Sparshatt.
But it wasn't until the 44th minute that Mat Jones poked a free kick home at the far post to make it 4-0 at half-time.
Richard Gillespie - who scored five at Fleet on New Year's Day - latched onto a Graeme Gee pass to make it 5-0 on the hour.
Then Bash old boy Craig Anstey held back Gillespie for Wakefield to crack home a 68th-minute penalty.
Gee, who had earlier hit the bar, was again the provider for Cannie to complete the scoring in the 76th minute.
"We had a ten-minute spell in the first half when we let them play a bit, but we came out in the second and did a job again," said Robson.
"It's done our goal difference the power of good."
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