Spalding United breezed past Rugby Town at Butlin Road with a clinical first-half display.
Mikey Taylor had quickly levelled up an early opener from the promotion-chasing visitors, but Spalding added three more before the interval to put the game beyond Valley - before adding another late on.
Chris Clements and Madundo Semahimbo were recalled to the Town starting line-up eleven days on from their previous outing at Anstey, with keeper Tomasz Bukowski back on the bench after a seven-week absence with a groin injury.
United's Lewis Hilliard had already found the side-netting with a free-kick ahead of the Tulips taking the lead on five minutes when Jordan Graham successfully followed up on Paul Hathaway's parry to Riley O'Sullivan's shot.
Rugby responded well to this early setback though, and Semahimbo was soon skipping into the opposition's box before putting in an effort which was saved by Tony Breeden.
The Town equaliser came when David Kolodynski neatly flicked on a long punt forward from Hathaway to release Taylor to fire home confidently.
O'Sullivan's angled strike was blocked away by the legs of Hathaway, but it was the hosts that seemed to be having the best of the game for a while, so it came against the run of play when O'Sullivan outmuscled Josh Thomas before firing a low shot through the Valley keeper.
Ex-Town man Sam Warburton had a shot deflected for a corner, before O'Sullivan was on target again with another speared strike beneath Hathaway to make it three-one on 26 minutes.
O'Sullivan then put one over the bar from the edge of the area, with Rugby nearly carving out a decent chance when Clements whipped in a free-kick just beyond the reach of Kolodynski.
Spalding administered a real hammer-blow five minutes ahead of the interval though, when defender Nathan Stainfield dribbled from the centre circle before exchanging passes with Graham and then completing the move with an unchallenged strike past Hathaway.
Jamie Melbourne's deflected shot ended up drifting way off-target, and Kolodynski curled one into Breeden's arms from a wide position before the half-time whistle was blown.
Town really should have reduced the deficit to two goals not long after the restart when Taylor ran onto Clements's searching pass and then rounded Breeden only to somehow lift the ball high and wide of the empty frame.
Breeden pulled off a decent save to deny Barry Fitzharris's volley and then Ryan Sahota blazed one wildly over after Taylor had knocked down Dan Summerfield's cross into his path as Rugby continued to search for further reward for their efforts.
O'Sullivan was denied his hat-trick when Liam Francis blocked his strike, before Stainfield just managed to get a foot to another Hathaway long delivery with Taylor poised for a shot on goal.
A dangerous cross from Semahimbo was cut-out and Theo Rowe's effort was deflected away for a valiant Valley, but any lingering doubts as to the destination of the points came with Spalding's fifth on 83 minutes when sub Kyle Barker guided one in from twenty yards.
Stacey Freeman headed one onto Rugby's goal frame not long before the home side's eleventh Butlin Road league defeat was brought to an end.
