Salisbury scored five times in 15 early second half minutes to sink depleted Follands 6-1 and establish a three-point lead at the top of the Sydenhams Wessex League.

The position was strengthened by Andover Town’s 2-1 defeat at Bemerton Heath Harlequins and Blackfield & Langley being beaten 1-0 by visiting Moneyfields.

But Salisbury didn’t have it all their own way in the Hamble gale and trailed to a Jamie Blackburn goal until Sam Wilson’s hat-trick turned things around.

Wilson’s treble, which included a second half penalty, supported by strikes from George Colson, Kane O’Keefe and substitute Robbie Matthews gave Salisbury a comfortable win.

“In the end we got what we deserved but it took an awful long time for us to get there,” admitted Salisbury boss Steve Claridge.

“We didn’t play the conditions very well in the first half. They made it difficult and set up to frustrate us and it took us a long while to get to grips with the game.”

The defeat deepened Follands’ relegation fears but despoite being without a host of first choice players through injury and suspension, they equipped themselves for 50 minutes.

“The lads stuck to the game plan and we set out to soak up as lot of the Salisbury pressure and try and hit them on the break – which is just what we did,” said manager Dave Herbert.

“We limited their chances to be honest we should have been 2-1 up.

“With the number of absentees we had I think we surprised ourselves a bit, but when Salisbury got on top in the second half the game plan fell to pieces and players started to do their own thing and a culmination of errors led to all the goals going in.”