A Hayes & Yeading United side devoid of five starters and quickly down to ten men with the sending off of George Isaac were no match for league leaders Ashford who ran out comfortable winners at Church Road on Monday evening.

With Messrs Wishart and Webb on first team duty and others unavailable it was actually the under strength United that made the first opening with just three minutes played. Mitchell Dunstall making ground on the right before picking out Isaac but his header from six yards was wide of the target.

It didn't take long before the dangerous Ashford pairing of Mark Bitmead and Lewis Wombwell were going at United, the latter seeing his curling shot dip over Rourke Pickford only to come back off the crossbar.

Minutes later United's task became even harder when Isaac got himself involved in an off the ball incident with Ashford's Taylor Gough and on the advice of an assistant referee Kitchen pulled out the red card and sent the United man for an early shower.

As if this was not bad enough, United who only had one outfield substitute were forced to use it minutes later when Maccabee Thomas limped out of the game to be replaced by Sean Witter.

Pickford swept up a shot from Seb Jones after good work out wide by Stuart Holder before United broke away and should have taken the lead. Joakim Ehui sent a ball over the Ashford defence for Cyrus Longdon-Hughes to run onto, he failed to lift his shot with any conviction and Lee Elliott blocked his effort away.

Not unexpectedly the visitors now began to dominate. Wombwell and Bitmead both fired wide of the target before the deadlock was finally broken on 37 minutes when Wombwell got to a cross just before Isaac Bonket and flicked the ball past Pickford from close range.

Ashford started well in the second half as you would expect against ten men, Holder saw an angled drive from the left smack back off the post before the same player turned creator just before the hour mark as Bitmead slid in his low cross at the far post.

Just when you thought things couldn't get worse for United substitute Witter appeared to injure his hamstring and after gamefully trying to continue another substitution was required. With the only other sub being keeper Alex Tokarczyk it was decided that Alex would go between the sticks with Rourke coming out to play in midfield.

Ashford continued to pile on the pressure, Tokarczyk denied Wombwell and looked beaten as Jack Taylor fired the rebound goalwards but a well positioned Bonket did a superb job clearing off the line. Tokarczyk then saved from Taylor after a beautiful throughball from Gough before the United stopper was needed again seconds later, this time denying skipper Tom Betts.

Tokarczyk saved yet again, this time from Bitmead before he was finally beaten when Wombwell rose highest to head home a corner from the right.

Minutes later the woodwork saved United again when Josh Finch's ferocious shot came back into play but with five minutes remaining Wombwell completed his hat-trick, sweeping home a low Jones cross at the near post.

Final blood came in the final minute when substitute Conor Moody charged down a poor Tokarczyk clearance only to be pulled back by the United keeper who was perhaps fortunate only to see yellow. Moody himself stepped up to take the penalty and coolly fired home number five.

Report by Kevin Watts.

United Man of the Match: Joakim Ehui.