PAUL Braithwaite was glad to see the back of Flackwell Heath, who proved a right Royal pain in the backside for his Bassett side once again on Saturday.

Royal Wootton Bassett Town crumbled in the second half at Wilks Park as they shipped seven goals to last season’s Hellenic League Premier Division champions, who have form for bringing Braithwaite’s men back to earth with a bump.

Last season, Flackwell ended Bassett’s nine-match unbeaten league run by thumping them by 5-0 in the final game of the season.

On Saturday, the visitors arrived in Buckinghamshire having not suffered defeat in their opening four outings, but were soon left licking their wounds.

“Flackwell are our bogey side and I’m not looking forward to playing them again,” said Braithwaite.

“Last season, we were on a nine-match unbeaten run before they came to us and beat us and then this year, we were unbeaten right up until Saturday when they beat us again.

“They’re a good side and they won the league last year but people forget that in 15 games, we’ve only lost twice and that’s been to Flackwell Heath.

“We went in 2-1 down at half-time and we could have easily come in level or even leading.

“But in the second half, we just capitulated and I’m not sure what happened. We did all the right things in the first half but somehow, we seemed to forget everything in the second half.

“We were naive and we’ve got to draw a line under it and get back to doing the right things tonight in training and Tuesday against Lydney.”

Steve Robertson’s goal was sandwiched by two Chris Hurst efforts for Flackwell heading into the break but in the second period, the floodgates opened.

Dan Rapely made it 3-1 to the home side, before Mitchell Woodward extended the advantage and Bassett’s Adam Corcoran sliced a Rapely cross into his own net.

Hurst then claimed his hat-trick as he finished off a clinical counter-attack before, after Robertson had notched his second to restore an iota of pride for Braithwaite’s men, Daniel Burnell hit his side’s seventh with an audacious 25-yard chip.