Needham Market rise one place to second place in the table following a 6-1 rout at home to St Ives Town. The Marketmen made one change to Saturday's 2-0 win at Telford, Kyle Hammond returned from suspension in place of Reece Harris.
Needham started brightly and were clinical in front of goal, scoring 3 times in both halves to extend their unbeaten run to 12 games in all competitions, 10 in the league, with Kyle Hammond notching 3 in 2 games and Luke Ingram netting 4 in his last 2 outings.
Kyle Hammond went close after 6 minutes, the midfielder was fed into space by Luke Ingram only to fire his long range strike wide of the bottom left-hand, near, corner.
Four minutes later, great neat passing play from the home side saw Tevan Allen play a great give and go one two with Jacob Lay, out on the right wing, whose smart low cross into the danger area was held well by the keeper on his goal-line.
The Marketmen though broke the deadlock on 12 minutes, a long ball over the top found Luke Ingram arriving onto the right-hand edge of the box, drawing the keeper off his line, as he toe poked it round the keeper and into the bottom left-hand corner, 1-0 Needham.
Four minutes later, the Marketmen quickly raced into a two goal lead as Kyle Hammond fired a rocket of a strike, arrowing into the top near, left-hand, corner from 25-yards out, 2-0 Needham.
Before the Marketmen tripled their lead though, St Ives had a great chance on 34 minutes as they shot just wide of Garnham's bottom right-hand corner. Three minutes later, the Marketmen did extend their advantage through Kyle Hammond.
Great play saw Luke Ingram pick out Man Of The Match Tommy Smith down the left wing with an audacious crossfield ball, the full-back then surged down the wing before slotting Jacob Lay onto the near side byline whose cutback was poked back to Hammond by Ingram, with the midfielder on hand to lash home fiercely into the bottom right-hand corner from just inside the box, 3-0 Needham.
Needham then saw a close range shot denied on 38 minutes, before Hammond fired a 30-yard free-kick just over the crossbar a minute later, while a superb save from Marcus Garnham thwarted the Ives two minutes into first half stoppage time. Jonathan Edwards was slotted through into space onto the left-hand side of the box whose low shot was turned behind well by Garnham, diving low to his near, right-hand, side.
The visitors though did pull a goal back on the stroke of half-time, as a left wing corner found Charlie Johnson unmarked from close range to head home into the bottom far corner, 3-1 to Needham.
Kevin Horlock's side maintained the intensity though, adding a quickfire fourth goal through record appearance maker Luke Ingram - now not much more than a dozen of goals away from the club record - with his second of the night.
Just two minutes after the break, the goalscorer was found in space inside the box, following a right wing throw, who smartly shifted the ball away from a defender before rifling home into the top right-hand corner from around 12-yards out, 4-1 Needham.
Ingram in turn was fed into space from 25-yards out whose low strike was hit straight at the goalkeeper on 52 minutes, before the post denied Ingram a minute later as his effort outside the box deflected just wide off the outside face of the left-hand post behind for a goal-kick.
Tevan Allen was then slotted into acres of space, onside, down the right-hand side of the box before seeing a ferocious strike low across goal beaten away by the 'keeper on 55 minutes, before also seeing a great low fierce free-kick on the edge of the box, a minute later, tipped just wide of the bottom left-hand corner.
Seconds later, Needham added a fifth goal in style as a exquisite right wing corner found Keiran Morphew on the penalty spot who leathered home off the inside base of the bottom right-hand post to make it 5-1.
Needham then had the chance to add to their lead when they were awarded a penalty on 58 minutes, however Ingram's spot-kick a minute later was well held by the 'keeper, who guessed correctly down low to his left-hand side.
Despite that, and after a double substitution saw Seth Chambers and Ollie Fraser introduced in place of Jacob Lay and Callum Page,
Needham continued to create chances - hungry for more goals, adding a sixth goal just after the hour mark.
Tev Allen latched onto possession on the right-hand side of the box before effortlessly smashing home into the top far corner from 8-yards out, 6-1 Needham.
Seth Chambers then saw a low fierce tight angled shot beaten away well by the keeper at his bottom right-hand, near corner before hammering wide on the rebound on 70 minutes, while Ollie Fraser's surging run - burning his marker for pace - saw his low ball into the six yard box smacked out off play by Johnson six minutes later.
Goalscorer Allen meanwhile could only smash a great left wing cross, swung to the far post, agonisingly just wide of the bottom right-hand corner on 79 minutes, prior to Hammond lasering an 83rd minute free-kick over the crossbar.
A fantastic double save from Marcus Garnham at the other end however denied St Ives a second consolation on 88 minutes, the first saw the shot-stopper produce a stunning diving save to deny the away side before reacting quickly to hold onto a shot on the rebound, diving low to his left-hand side.
Needham go into 3 consecutive cup games in style, moving up to second in the league ahead of an Emirates FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round trip to Vanarama National League North side, and former legue opponents, Peterborough Sports on Saturday (3pm), followed by a Suffolk Premier Cup trip to Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties Premier Division side Long Melford on Wednesday 4th October (7:45pm) and an Isuzu FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round home tie with Isthmian Premier Division outfit Cray Wanderers (3pm).
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