ELY City piled on the woe for bottom-side Harwich and Parkeston as they ran out 5-0 winners on Saturday. In what was a crunch-game for both sides, it was Ely who came out on top as their rampant attack got the better of Harwich defence that has shipped so

ELY City piled on the woe for bottom-side Harwich and Parkeston as they ran out 5-0 winners on Saturday.

In what was a crunch-game for both sides, it was Ely who came out on top as their rampant attack got the better of Harwich defence that has shipped some 81 goals in 23 games this season.

The win moves the Robins up into 16th place in the Ridgeons Premier League, 19 points clear of the drop zone and just 11 points off a coveted play-off spot.

There was precious little room for mistakes from the Robins in a must win game against the league's bottom side, and the pressure was immediately lifted as Ely were gifted the lead after just nine minutes courtesy of an own-goal.

Keen to press home their advantage, Denis Lightning's men stepped up a gear and fired two more goals before half-time to put the home side in the mire. Scott Fielding netted both goals.

After the break, Ely were content to allow Harwich to play in front of the defence and any hope of a comeback was time-and-again snuffed out by some alert Ely defending.

A Robbie Mason strike after 52 minutes put the result beyond doubt and Dave Smith put the icing on the cake in the last minute of normal time to complete the rout.