Grantham Town are beaten by Long Eaton in the Northern Premier League
For the second time in three games, Grantham went down by four goals to a side at the top end of the table.
After last weekend's 4-0 defeat at Corby Town, two goals in each half at Long Eaton on Easter Monday gave the Gingerbreads the unenviable record of not winning away in the Northern Premier League all season.
Evan Garnett and Connor Pace both scored braces for Long Eaton who have secured a place in the Midlands Division play-offs after finishing fourth.
"We knew what we were coming into," said Grantham manager Tom Ford.
"We had a slightly different squad with a couple of Under 18s making their debuts.
"We didn't just sit back, they are a ball playing side, but we competed and broke on them a couple of times and can be proud of our work ethic.
"The second goal made it hard at half-time, but we insisted on working hard and keeping heads up which we did.
"Credit to Long Eaton, they are one of the best footballing sides in the division and we gave everything to compete."
Long Eaton had an early territorial advantage with former Gingerbread Andrew Wright driving into the penalty area only to see his fifth minute shot blocked.
The home side began to use Ryan Campbell-Gordon down their left flank and he had a lot of space every time he came forward. An early cross found James Shaw but his shot lacked power.
After Shaw put another good cross wide of the target, Grantham created an opportunity of their own.
Harry Olivant hit a low cross to the near post that Lewis Darlington got to first but could not steer on target.
A minute later Long Eaton had the lead.
There was an element of fortune to the goal as Shaw's low cross was turned away by James Leverton but only to Garnett 12 yards out in space and he made no mistake by powering home the opening goal.
Grantham worked hard to keep the score at one as Long Eaton had a lot of possession and kept the Gingerbreads pinned back.
But, despite a number of corners and good crosses from Campbell-Gordon, the hosts did not challenge Leverton in the Gingerbreads goal.
As half-time approached, Long Eaton went close again after good work from Campbell-Gordon and Wright set up Shaw again but Leverton once more stopped his effort.
However, the Grantham goalkeeper was powerless to prevent a second Long Eaton goal just before half-time.
Campbell-Gordon again provided the cross and Pace hit a volley that Leverton saved but the ball fell back to the Long Eaton striker and he stabbed in the second goal.
A sharp start to the second half by the home side saw them extend their lead again after 51 minutes.
Patience from the home side in their build up saw them eventually get the ball to Pace who drove a shot through Leverton into the corner of the net.
All the action was in the Grantham half as Wright shot wide, then Leverton pawed away a Campbell-Gordon cross with two Long Eaton forwards waiting.
Substitute Dexter Walters began to cause problems for the Gingerbreads on the right-hand side, forcing another save from Leverton before setting up the fourth goal for Long Eaton.
With 18 minutes left in the game, Walters drove another cross into the Grantham penalty area and Garnett met it at the near post to register his second goal of the afternoon and the home side's fourth.
The scoreline could have been worse for the Gingerbreads as both Garnett and Pace sought their hat-tricks.
Garnett twice got efforts on target but Leverton saved both well to frustrate the home striker.
The Grantham goalkeeper also denied Pace with another good save from a low shot as time ran out.
The Gingerbreads did eventually come close to threatening the scorers in the 89th minute.
Olivant hit a good shot that Lewis King in the Long Eaton goal did well to stop and then scramble the loose ball clear.
Grantham complete their league campaign with a home match against Bedworth United on Saturday.
The club are now welcoming applications for the role of first team manager.
Academy boss Tom Ford has taken charge of the Gingerbreads for the final three games of the Northern Premier League Midlands Division campaign following the resignation of Nathan Arnold.
The club are looking for applicants who are experienced personnel within the National League System.
They are hoping to appoint a new manager with an expected start date in early May as the club prepares for the 2025/26 season.
Grantham will be playing at step five of the non-league pyramid next season with the club likely to be placed in the United Counties League.
Applications, which should include a CV and covering letter, should be sent to sophiecopeclubconsultant@gmail.com
