'˜Rampant and ruthless' Hawks hit summit

Bradley Tarbuck fired a second-half hat-trick as the home side crushed the visitors from Suffolk.

Struggling Sudbury had no answer to the firepower of the Hawks.

Lee Bradbury’s troops leapfrogged rivals Bognor to lead the standings by a point – with a game in hand.

‘That has to be our best performance of the season and not just because of the six goals,’ said the boss.

‘All the players were on it, working hard, running off the ball and showing terrific energy.

‘Even goalkeeper Ryan Young, who didn’t have a lot to do, pulled off a great reaction save at 0-0 to prevent us going behind.

‘In many ways, that proved to be the turning point.

‘Once we got the first goal were were rampant and ruthless.

‘The whole squad is buzzing and at this stage of the season that is what you want.’

The Hawks could easily have had three or four goals before they eventually broke the deadlock three minutes before the break.

Brian Stock curled a tantalising cross to the far post where an unmarked Ryan Woodford scored with a slightly deflected header.

Tarbuck grabbed his first five minutes into the second period with a crisp strike.

Theo Lewis netted a rebound nine minutes later and Tarbuck then registered his second with a 40-yard drive.

Tarbuck then completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot on 76 minutes after regular penalty taker Matt Paterson stepped aside.

‘I am pleased for Bradley because he is a winger who has been converted into a wing-back,’ said Bradbury.

‘He showed just what an attacking force he can be. At the same time he displayed his defensive qualities.

‘The lad wants to get back into the Football League and this will only boost his confidence further.’

Shell-shocked Sudbury conceded a sixth goal in stoppage-time when Alfie Rutherford scored with a deft header.

‘It is great to be top of the league because that is where we want to be,’ added Bradbury.

‘The challenge now is to stay there as we know we are there to be shot at.

‘I am confident we can deal with the pressure as long as we continue to work hard for each other.

‘If we do that then the quality we possess will shine through.

Hawks: Young, Woodford, Harris, Robinson, Williams, Stock (Carter, 62min), Lewis, Fogden, Rutherford, Prior (Paterson, 62min), Tarbuck. Att: 695

n A last-ditch Jimmy Wild equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw for Bognor at Leiston.

Rocks goalkeeper Dan Lincoln went up for a last-minute corner and his header was tipped on to the crossbar.

Wild stooped to head home the rebound and force the draw.