IT NEVER rains but it pours for Bashley.

The first sight to greet spectators who had taken advantage of the club’s generous offer of free entry was a huge puddle in the car park.

It was a drop in the ocean compared with the pre-match trials and tribulations encountered by boss Graham Speechley-Price.

As a result, the beleaguered hosts were submerged under a barrage of goals as their plight at the bottom of Division One South & West worsened.

Players had dropped like flies on the eve of this relegation six-pointer against the Alfredians, an ingenious nickname in honour of Wantage-born Alfred the Great.

Unlike the noble King of Wessex, and with their army severely depleted, Bash were found hopelessly wanting as they tried in vain to defend their kingdom.

Linchpin defender and captain Jamie Thoroughgood announced he would be leaving the club on the eve of the clash, while Jamal Rose apparently tweaked his hamstring walking down a staircase at his home on the morning of the match.

Thoroughgood’s exit left striker Nuno Pereira without a lift to taxi him to the New Forest, while midfielder Ryan Brading and Dammy Bada, one of Bashley’s more accomplished defenders, were both unavailable.

To add to their woes, Leighton Speechley-Price trapped a nerve during the warm-up and had to be replaced in the starting line-up by Blayne Kinley before Brad Morris was subbed on the stroke of half- time and taken to hospital to have stitches after sustaining a nasty cut to his head.

“We had two midfielders playing at centre-back and a striker sweeping,” said boss Speechley-Price, who also lost Matt Oldring to Dorchester earlier this month.

Had the manager’s youngest son Mitchell Speechley-Price not squandered two presentable chances to give Bash the lead inside the opening 11 minutes, it could have been a different story.

The teenager firstly allowed Gareth Tucker to smother at his feet after the Wantage goalkeeper had seized on his heavy touch before Speechley-Price missed an absolute sitter.

Barely four yards out and with the whole goal at his mercy, Speechley-Price somehow contrived to fluff his lines after Aaron Dunne’s cross had put the ball on a plate for him.

A finely-taken goal from Clive Makoni after 12 minutes offered Bash hope, the ex-Cherries apprentice curling a right-foot shot past Tucker after fastening on to an excellent pass from Kinley.

However, that was as good as it got for Bash as the Hellenic League champions overcame their tardy start and began performing as if they were the champions of Europe.

Shell-shocked Bash were torn to shreds as Danny Lachacz’s double coupled with goals from Arnau ‘Xapi’ Amadeu, Tom Melledew and Jimmy Deabill saw the visitors put the contest to bed during a 20-minute spell before half-time.

And any lingering hopes of a dramatic comeback were well and truly snuffed out when Spanish livewire Amadeu traded passes with Jake Johns to add a sixth just four minutes after the break.

“Our defending was awful,” admitted boss Speechley-Price, who confirmed reserve team manager Martin Spears had been promoted to become his assistant in the wake of Andy Darnton’s departure last week.

“But we did have three players playing out of position. We probably had the better of the second half but the game was gone by then. We did well for the first 25 minutes but having too many players missing caught up with us in the end.”

Bash goalkeeper Callum Maher added: “We cut them open a few times in the first 20 to 25 minutes. But you could see it coming and they started putting pressure on us. It is hard work when you have a few players out of position.”

Bash: Maher, Morse, Petty, Hall, Dunne, Coombes (Turner, 90), Morris (Head, 43), Bosma, Kinley, Makoni (Moore, 59), M Speechley-Price.

Unused subs: Hopkins, Booker.

Wantage: Tucker, Sadler, Steedman, Smith (Reid, h-t), Brown, Pearce, Amadeu, Melledew, Deabill (Roberts, 74), Lachacz, Johns (Cattell, 71).

Unused sub: Barder.

Referee: Matthew Rushton (Pewsey, Wilts).

Attendance: 191.