BASINGSTOKE Town were torn apart 5-1 at Heybridge Swifts after having skipper Paul Wilkinson sent off on the half-hour.
Trailing to a 24th-minute Jamie Window goal, the visitors suffered a further blow when confusion broke out over the placing of a free kick awarded for a foul on Stoke's Glenn Howes.
Chris Honor was cautioned for debating the positioning with the officials and then Wilkinson saw red for remonstrating about the needlessness of the booking.
Ironically Town responded with a well-worked 32nd-minute equaliser when Howes clipped the ball in for Craig McAllister whose knockdown was perfect for Sean Gorman to poke home.
But Kevin Budge restored Swifts' advantage late in the first-half and went on to complete a hat-trick after the break before substitute Ross Taylor com-pounded Stoke's misery with a 70th-minute fifth.
Despite the lop-sided scoreline, it was an end-to-end encounter and McAllister could have bagged a second-half hat-trick for Stoke. The luckless ex-Eastleigh striker had one shot
blocked, scuffed another wide and then bent a late curler the wrong side of the post.
Ex-Basingstoke left-back Jason Chewins was awarded with Aldershot's player-of-the-year trophy before their 1-1 home draw with St Albans City.
Mark Bentley was on target for the fourth-placed Shots.
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