A much-changed team took to the pitch as only Harrison Male and Pat Webber remained from Saturday’s original line-up. Club Captain Darren Budd skippered the side, while Luca Cocoracchio, Will Seager, Marvin Armstrong, Ty Mthunzi, Dean Cox, Mo Diallo, Kyle O’Brien and Tom Chalaye all earned starting berths.

Despite the three division gap between them, it was the visitors who created the first chance of the evening when Simon Piper had a shot blocked after just seven minutes.

The hosts responded via Budd’s short pass to O’Brien that he fed through for Diallo to fire over, a few yards into the area.

Panto season then arrived early as Red’s attempts at playing out from the back proved to be their undoing again.

After gifting Cheshunt a match-defining second goal at the weekend, a similar occurrence presented Seaford with a shock lead. This time though, they didn’t even have to score themselves, as a breakdown in communications between Seager and Male resulted in the centre-half netting his maiden competitive strike. Just not in the way he planned it.

Fortunately, for the unfortunate, his blushes were quickly spared by Chalaye’s equaliser, two minutes later.

Diallo’s driving, weaving run saw goalkeeper Mike Platt parry at the expense of a corner. Cox took the set-piece and, following a neat one-two with O’Brien, his low cross from the byline was inadvertently diverted to around the penalty spot, by the outstretched foot of Town’s netminder, where Chalaye was waiting to pounce with unerring precision.

Shortly before the interval, Armstrong exchanged passes with Chalaye on the left, drifted inside and found Cox on the edge of the eighteen yard box. His (almost) nonchalant knock to his right resulted in the incoming Cocoracchio forcing a fine near-post save out of Platt.

The Southern Combination League side continued to ask questions of their higher-ranked hosts; illustrated beautifully via Reece Edwards’ perfectly-weighted through ball down the inside-left channel, that led to Callum Connor latching onto it, charging into the box and coming within inches of levelling the scores again, as his attempt whistled inches past the far upright, just four minutes into the second period.

Platt was then called into action to keep out Armstrong at his front stick – after the midfielder had robbed George Maybury – but was to blot his copybook a tad, when he upended Cox in the eighteen yard area moments later and was powerless to prevent Chalaye doubling his tally with a well-struck spot-kick that was fired straight down the middle, as he dived to his right.

Two soon became three, thanks to Chalaye’s slide-rule pass to O’Brien that he took towards the byline and laid across for Armstrong, to tuck home from close range.

Reds were on a roll now and it didn’t take long for Diallo to extend the advantage further; taking Budd’s threaded through ball on and slotting beyond Platt, marginally outside the penalty box.

However, far from being disheartened, Seaford replied instantly, thanks to some insightful wing play that culminated in Matt Holland fizzing in a low delivery that Piper swept home with aplomb.

Play switched back to the other end, as Budd spread the ball out to Cox on the right and his cross was guided goalwards by Mthunzi; Matt Simpson surviving calls for a second penalty of the night with the ball appearing to catch him on the arm, on the goalline but Platt pounced to gather safely and the appeals went unanswered.

Diallo joined Chalaye in putting himself on a hatrick, when Budd’s pass was helped on by an unlucky white shirt and fell perfectly for the Frenchman to beat Platt and make it five.

Talking of Tom, the man who had opened the floodgates, well, eased them gently apart at least, made his way along the top edge of the box and gave Cox a go at adding his name to the scoresheet, only for Platt to react smartly to smother and snuff out the danger.

Sadly, the tall striker’s treble-bagging opportunity went begging, when he managed to clear the first row of houses in St Anselms Road. Although he is now being headhunted by NASA after becoming the first man to land a football on the moon.

Cox’s low long-ranger caused no concern for the sound Platt, following the veteran’s room-engineering effort, that took a slight touch off a defender on it’s way through.

Two minutes to go, Cocoracchio’s run off the right into the danger zone ended with substitute Shaun Skipper considered guilty of terminating it illegally. Although, Diallo hit the crossbar from twelve yards and Platt kept out Chalaye, eventually, on the rebound.

However, Mo made no mistake seconds later when he latched onto Cocoracchio’s pass and rounded Platt to complete his hat trick. The goalie also denying him a fourth at the near post shortly afterwards.