Lye Town secure promotion with thumping win
Lye Town sealed promotion by destroying higher league St Neots in a promotion-relegation play-off in Cambridgeshire.
The visitors were in dreamland inside 72 seconds when central defender Adam Meacham was given time to measure a half volley past Saints keeper Jonah Gill.
It was 2-0 in the 20th minute when Jamie Ashmore sent top scorer Joe Palmer racing behind the home defence before squaring for an unmarked Josh Hesson to fire home.
Hesson had his second in the 52nd minute after running between two markers onto a superb Ben Billingham ball and firing across Gill.
Palmer got on the scoresheet in the 61st minute, after Ryan Bridgewater sent Hesson down the left channel and he pulled it back to the Lye goal machine, six yards out.
Hesson left Aaron Smith trailing in the 74th minute before unselfishly squaring for Palmer to crash home a fifth.
Callum Anderson punished slack defending by Lye three minutes later but it was far too late for the hosts, who had defender Tom Dickens sent off for a second yellow, eight minutes from time.
Hesson had his hat-trick in the 87th minute after cutting in unopposed from the left and firing beyond Gill.
