Bracknell Town have been shipping far too many goals in recent games and manager Geoff Warner had expressed his concerns about his side's defending the weekend before last. But no-one could possibly have foreseen this staggering result on Saturday - a 7-2 thrashing at Ware.
It's been a long time since the Robins had their wings clipped in such devastating fashion. And they can't complain about the pitch on a cold and miserable day in Hertfordshire as they were playing on a 3G surface.
No, their heaviest defeat for a very long time was mainly down to individual errors and also giving away penalties - now four in successive games.
Yes, the scoreline certainly failed to reflect the amount of possession Bracknell had during the game and they created a good number of scoring chances, but Christmas came early for Ware with their visitors gifting them goals.
Town were missing full-backs Dave Hancock (injured) and Ryan Parsons (suspended) and late in the first half Carl Davies, so often their tower of strength in the back line, was forced off with a foot injury although they were 4-1 down at the time.
Bracknell, however, have been struggling in recent weeks to deal with the pace of their opponents and this was again the case against a useful-looking Ware outfit.
In front of a crowd of just 60, they were caught cold as early as the fourth minute when Brandon Adams chested down a long ball over the top and smashed a half-volley over keeper Mark Scott to put the hosts ahead.
Robins, with the wind behind them, had a chance to quickly get on level terms when Jamie McClurg threaded the ball through to Liam Ferdinand, but his left-footed shot sailed wide of the far post.
However, Ferdinand made no mistake in the 17th minute. Ware keeper Anthony Page's clearance was held up in the strong wind and Sean Moore headed the ball back for Ferdinand to run onto and lob over the onrushing goalie.
The Robins continued to press forward, but they failed to take advantage and the game changed in the space of two minutes.
Leigh Rose restored Ware's lead on 24 minutes with a low shot past Scott and two minutes later another error in defence let in Adams for his second goal of the game.
And it got even worse for the Robins when they gifted their hosts the fourth goal with Scott being beaten by Frazer John four minutes before half-time.
For the second half Town went three at the back, with Matt Day having come on for Davies, while Ashleigh Artwell replaced Sean Moore, who was in the starting line-up as Seb Bowerman was unavailable.
Town, making good use of the flanks, continued to cause problems for the Ware defence and continued to have chances, with Kensley Maloney going the closest with a shot that struck the post.
But the frailties in Town's defending were again exposed when they fell further in arrears in the 63rd minute with Adams beating Scott from a tight angle to complete his hat-trick.
Bracknell still wouldn't lie down and Ferdinand, set up by Adam Cornell, pulled a goal back on 72 minutes.
They pushed forward in search of more goals, only to be caught out twice more, with Jordan Watson making it 6-2 in the 83rd minute before Dave Cowley rounded off the scoring with an 87th-minute penalty, conceded by Joe Gater, to complete a thoroughly miserable afternoon for Bracknell.
All in all, you could say, this performance was no-Ware good enough.
And their mood on the journey home wasn't helped by the fact they will be driving on the M25 again next Saturday, with Cheshunt their destination to face FC Romania.
The Robins have slipped to fourth in the table, but still three points behind leaders Marlow, who lost 3-1 at home to Waltham Abbey last weekend, while Romania are down in 17th place.
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