Bridgham United suffered three late call-offs including their keeper and with another six players already unavailable they were beaten 5-1 at third-place Castle Acre Swift Reserves.
Jason Conroy had an early shot saved but it was the home side who took the lead with a good finish on eight minutes.
Bridgham did make it 1-1 on 20 minutes when Conroy was fouled and scored the resulting penalty. Conroy then shot past the post but a minute before half time Castle Acre made it 2-1.
The second half was hard going for Bridgham as the home side made it 3-1 on 51 minutes through an own goal off the luckless George Low. Conroy then went close twice before being sent off on the hour mark.
The home side made use of their man advantage and scored twice more in the 76th and 78th minutes to wrap up the points as Bridgham’s patched-up side, with Ben Mannion the stand-in keeper, battled to the end.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here