Report by Jools Thomas

With visitors Royston running away with at the top of the table, it was always going to take something special for FC to garner anything from this game. The lack of availability of experienced men Ben Stevens and the suspended Brian Haule only added to the task in hand. At the end of the game, this turned into a comfortable stroll for the away team as they march towards a seemingly inevitable title win.

Royston were out of the blocks immediately when Josh Castiglione smacked the ball against the bar with keeper James Weatherill well beaten. This was an omen for the onslaught to come. Town captain Scott Bridges was the next to test Weatherill with the keeper diving to his left to prevent a goal and this was soon followed by a low shot from John Frendo. Royston are the form top of the division and this opening 10 minutes was concrete evidence of their quality.

FC had been nowhere near the visitor's goal although Joseph Hartley tried his best with a low right wing cross into the box on 17 minutes before a Royston foot blocked the effort.

The opening goal had more than a hint of controversy about it. A cross from the right saw Bridges leap acrobatically in the box before Daniel McAteer was ruled to have fouled Fredo despite the attacker appearing to lose balance. FC's protests came to nothing and Bridges slotted the penalty home without too much difficulty.
Hartley's low strike on the half hour was once again blocked before Town extended their lead thanks to a Scott Neilson side footed effort from the edge of the box.

The second half saw substitutions for FC with Davis Haule and Alex O'Brien replacing Lewis Hayden and Marvyn Watson. Aston Goss had FC's first chance of note but after finding space, he blasted the ball wide.
On the hour mark, an away burst from midfield saw the ball pushed past Weatherill before Castiglione hit the ball into an empty net from a very tight angle for 3-0. Ty Deacon was also asked to attempt a strike from a tight angle however; his effort was high and wide. FC's very best chance of the game came on 71 minutes. A free kick was awarded just outside the box and Aston Goss hit a strike of real quality that away keeper Joe Welch had to scuttle across goal for, before palming the ball away for a corner.

The SRD Stadium grounds staff had done extremely well in preparing the pitch despite a week of rain but as the game progressed, FC began to tire as the pitch cut up more and more. With 15 minutes left to play, Royston grabbed another when an easy ball down the middle allowed Martel Powell plenty of space to aim and fire the ball past Weatherill for number four.

Castiglione shoved the ball under Weatherill for the fifth with five minutes left to play with the final goal of the game on 89 minutes with Neilson cracking the ball past a sprawling keeper.
Overall, it was a disappointing display but the silver lining of all FC's relegation rivals failing to win was a comfort. As fans left the ground at full time, all would have been of the opinion that the real battles lie at the end of the month in the away games at Petersfield and at Histon.