Tunbridge Wells Foresters went top of Division Two in the West Kent Sunday League last weekend after beating Pembury Sunday Reserves 5-2.
Manager Len Beale was forced into making a number of changes to his defence away from home with Richard Barden, Ryan Sands and Simon Lewis unavailable, so right-back Chris Davis moved inside to partner 17-year-old Archie Carey.
New goalkeeper Mark Ritson, who recently signed for the club after an eight-month lay-off, made his third appearance in between the sticks while Ben Carter and Jamie Gilham started in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, the deadly strike partnership of Alex Carey and Matt Parsons took their places in attack, and from the off, Beale's side put Pembury under pressure.
Having tested the goalkeeper early on, Carey was thwarted from range, while the bar was rattled after good build-up play as Foresters' upped the ante to open the scoring.
Pembury's gameplan of playing the long ball was easily identified by Davis and Carey, while Ritson was guiding his defence throughout.
However, they deservedly broke the deadlock thanks to Alex Carey, who latched on to a through-ball from Carter to slot past Pembury's goalkeeper.
And they went close to doubling their lead just minutes later when good work down the right from Parsons saw the hitman pull the ball back across goal for winger Toby Davis, who saw his shot hit the outside of the post.
However, Davis did find the net soon after, followed by two further clinical finishes from Matt Parsons to make it 4-0 at the break.
Alex Carey had also tried his luck from outside the box, but the goalkeeper was just about equal to it, taking the sting out of the shot before catching at the second attempt.
At the back, youngster Carey wasn't showing an inch of anxiety playing at a tougher level and was showing some immense touch awareness with confidence.
The game was looking comfortable and Foresters should have had at least another two more, but Pembury grabbed a goal back.
Their midfielder managed to find a yard of space inside the box from around 12-yards out, and despite Ritson getting a hand to the shot, it was too powerful before nestling into the top corner.
Ritson, however, pulled off a fantastic low stop to deny Pembury a second when their player took a snap-shot at goal following a corner, but the keeper got down low to push the ball around the post.
Foresters huffed and puffed in such of a fifth to kill the hosts off, but it was they who scored again to give them a chance of salvaging something from the match.
After a break down the right into the danger area, the Pembury player delivered in between Ritson and his defence for Chris Mearing to slot home.
And there was very nearly a third when, following a mistake in defence, the Pembury striker shot across Ritson's outstretched hand, but luckily the ball rolled past the far post with a another Pembury player sliding in and just inches away from a connection.
Foresters finally killed the game off, though, when Toby Davis was played in down the left, and as he broke into the box, he picked his spot to fire home the clincher off the far post.
With Hadlow Hornets in cup action, Foresters have gone top and have played the same amount of games as Goudhurst United and Green Street Blues at the top of the table.
Hornets do, however, have a game in hand, but the pressure will certainly be on them to go level on 13 points with Foresters, who now face two back-to-back cup matches.
TW Foresters: Mark Ritson, Mike Beale, Chris Davis, Archie Carey, Matt Nethercott, Ali MacDonald, Ben Carter, Jamie Gilham, Toby Davis, Alex Carey, Matt Parsons.
Subs: Shabeer Faisal, Tony Giampaglia, Greg Nicholson (all three came on in the second-half)
Attendance: Fly, Man and his dog, Jimmy Saville.
