Sleaford Town hammered, Amateurs frozen out

The Green Army were blown away by a five-goal haul from Phil Stebbing who gave the home side a 2-0 lead before the visitors pulled a goal back.

But Stebbing completed his hat-trick to restore the two-goal lead and added two more, supported by strikes from Sparrow and Wall, to give the in-form Cuckoos their sixth straight league win.

It was a chastening experience for Town in their first United Counties League fixture since hammering Leicester Nirvana 5-1, and they remain second-bottom, five points adrift of escaping the bottom three.

On Saturday, they face another tough away trip as they travel to seventh-placed Eynesbury Rovers (ko 3pm), but the hosts have won just one of their last four Premier Division outings.

Then comes the much-anticipated Boxing Day derby with Boston Town at Eslaforde Park. Kick-off is 2pm.

* Sleaford Sports Amateurs’ hopes of playing their first Lincolnshire League match in three weeks were dashed by a frozen pitch on Saturday.

Hopes would have been high of taking three points off third-bottom CGB Humbertherm at Eslaforde Park, but the pitch failed a morning inspection.

The league now takes a three-week winter break, and next up for Amateurs is a big Lincolnshire FA County Junior Cup quarter-final at Lincoln Moorlands Railway on Saturday, January 6 (kick-off 1.30pm).