Dial maintained their advantage at the top of the table after a resounding 5-1 win over AFC Royal Holloway at Royal Holloway Sports Centre in Egham this afternoon (18 Oct).

A turbo-charged second half performance set the cat among the pigeons, as Dial ran riot for the second time in three weeks to claim all three points.

But with Callum Abraham-Barlow suspended, and Jordan Carter, Aidan Doran, Louie Rogers and Danny Taylor all injured, Dial were again depleted on key personnel for the second time in as many weeks against a Royal Holloway side languishing at the wrong end of the table.

Following the departure of free-scoring Harry Rice to Hanwell Town last month, it was another opportunity for Michael Burton to lead the charge against a confidence-stricken Old Boys’ backline.

And it was Burton who caught the eye early on when his approach shot was tipped around the post by Zak Abdulhadi after just seven minutes.

Shortly after, Zak Hawker was inches away from giving Dial the lead when his free-kick crashed off the bar, with Daniel Cenzano’s follow-up shot palmed away by Abdulhadi.

However, the tide almost turned when Dial keeper George Mead was forced to save low to deny David Howick from close range.

But with Dial enjoying so much possession, it came as no surprise when Cenzano fired the visitors in front five minutes before half-time. Tommy Adag flicked on George Frith’s free-kick into the path of the anglo-Spanish striker, who made no mistake from eight yards.

One soon became two when Adag’s low 25-yard shot bobbled past Abdulhadi's outstretched arm just four minutes after the break.

With the wind in their sail, Hawker was close to making it 3-0 five minutes later, but was denied by a great save from Abdulhadi.

However, Abdulhadi was found wanting for Dial’s third goal, when George Lawrence managed to chip the ball over the shot-stopper from just inside the box in the 54th-minute.

To their credit, the Old Boys never gave up and pulled a goal back from Patrick Gibbs midway through the second period. It was a stunning strike from the Old Boys' midfielder to end the hosts’ five-game goal drought.

In quick response, Cenzano thought he had done enough to reinstate Dial’s three-goal advantage, but Abdulhadi stood his ground to thwart another near certain goal.

But the hosts were in retreat again when Adag was given time in the box to score his second and Dial’s fourth of the match in the 79th-minute, before Cenzano hit the bar six minutes later.

With the outcome never in doubt, there was still time for Charlie Marshall to breach the hosts’ backline to make it 5-1 in the ninth-minute of stoppage-time to complete the rout.

Speaking after the match, Brown said: “I thought we lacked a little bit of shape and the communication in the first 45, but the boys took onboard the feedback during the internal and made a real show of it in the second half.

“Considering the number of players we had out injured, the lads who came in worked hard and gave a good account of themselves. And while a clean sheet would have been nice, to score five away from home, I’ll take that any day of the week,” he added.

DIAL SQUARE: Mead, Rose-Davies (Norman), Vass, Hawker, Marshall, Phillips, Frith (Xavier), Adag, Burton, Lawrence, Cenzano. Unused subs: Laflin, Brown, Rider

MotM: Tommy Adag