Beccles Town 0, Acle United 5: Beccles' last home game of the season was against Sterry Cup challengers Acle United, who were seeking three points to aid their Anglian Combination challenge to Premier Division league leaders Cromer Town – and the game ended with Beccles' heaviest defeat of the season.

Without Alan Remblance, Luke Bailey resumed up front with Elliott Whiteside on the left. Acle needed to win to keep their hopes of winning the Sterry Cup alive and they started cagily.

Gradually Beccles started to get on top. Bailey had a great turn and effort go just wide and Whiteside's powerful running down the left won some corners.

However, Town wasted some good opportunities from set plays with poor deliveries and then after 25 minutes, got caught with a sucker punch. A free-kick was given away carelessly and Acle lofted the ball to the far post, and although Beccles cleared initially, Thomson was aware to chip the ball beyond Cable from the edge of the box.

That was the goal Acle needed and it released them – from that point they bossed the game.

The second half saw Beccles struggle to get any possession and eventually Acle scored a second, a corner floating straight in.

That took the wind out of the Wherrymen's sails and Acle added another soon after. Then with five minutes left Maddison added number four from an offside position that was obvious to everyone except the man with the flag.

Adding insult to injury, deep into added time – with Roberts off getting treatment – Acle finished the rout with number five.

All in all Beccles could not really complain as Acle were head and shoulders better on the day, so a disappointing end to Town's home campaign.

However, they will be hoping to put on a better showing in their final game, away at struggling Wells on Friday night (7.45pm) to finish off the season.

To further make it a black Saturday, the reserves were also soundly beaten by a well re-enforced Fakenham Reserves side to leave them in the Division Four relegation zone. They must now wait on the last two results from Bungay Town Reserves, who need four points to escape and leave Beccles to drop into Division Five.

Earlier in the day, long service awards were presented to Neil McMorran and Danny Cable, both of whom had played in excess of 200 first team games for the Wherrymen.

The awards were presented by Graham Walpole, business manager of sponsors Wrights Mazda, who himself was given a framed photograph of the team by chairman Sean Soloman.

In contrast to the performance to come, Anglian Combination committee member John Watson presented manager Mick Broxup with the senior team of the month award for march, when the Wherrymen won six out of seven games played, drawing the other.