Ashford Hockey Club men’s 1st team suffered their fifth defeat in a row, going down 4-3 at home to London Wayfarers, to slip closer to relegation from the South Premier league second division.

The London side took the lead when one of their players turned and picked his spot after being left unmarked in the area.

Wayfarers made it 2-0 soon afterwards with a thunderous half-volley, and although Rob Playford pulled one back before the break, Ashford’s half-time body language didn’t suggest they were confident of staging a second-half revival.

And Wayfarers made it 3-1 midway throuugh the second half, only for Ashford to finally some semblance of form and goals from Chris Smith and Dan Wells hauled them level.

But this was Wayfarers’ day, and they wrapped up the points when a short corner was rifled into the net past unsighted Ashford keeper Keir Starley.

This Saturday Ashford travel to Sittingbourne for a local derby with Gore Court.