After a morale boosting victory against Midhurst & Easebourne in midweek, The Magpies came home looking to get their league form back on track as they welcomed Newhaven who themselves were experiencing a fluctuating start to the campaign. On paper it looked like it would be a close encounter, the reality was nothing of the sort.
The paying public had barely taken up their places on the terraces when the Dockers struck, but they were assisted by some extremely lackadaisical defending that afforded Ian Robinson with plenty of space to advance to the area and then play a simple one-two with Oliver Davies before slotting past Brendan Milborrow after just 21 seconds.
And the early pain didn't stop there as Newhaven capitalised on the space that their hosts were giving them in dangerous areas. A cheaply given away free kick outside the area gave Davies the opportunity to strike for goal and he duly found the net with aplomb, although Milborrow will have expected to have done better. More was to come with soft challenges and a lack of tracking giving Lee Robinson not one, but two fairly simple opportunities to extend the lead, which he took and then just after the half hour mark Kyle Woolven got in on the action making it a somewhat perplexing 5-0 with two thirds of the game still to go.
Finally Loxwood were spurred into action, although it could equally have been due to the men in red taking their foot off the pedal. The home side's best move of the game should have seen a goal clawed back but Michael Wood's dangerous cross wasn't met cleanly by Alfie Gritt and the ball went wide of the far post. They did get on the scoresheet just before the break though when Joel Colbran recycled his own blocked free kick to rifle into the far corner past Jake Buss from 20 yards.
Two changes were made at half time in an attempt to try and restore some pride if not spring an unlikely comeback, but although the showing from the hosts was vastly improved, the Dockers' defence was resolute, particular against delivery from out wide, although at times the quality of the final ball wasn't what the Magpies had hoped for.
Despite the Magpies dominating the majority of the second half, it was somewhat inevitable that Newhaven would be the ones to score from their limited number of openings and so Lee Robinson coolly slotted home with 5 minutes to go to complete a well-earned hat-trick and put the final gloss on a very pleasing afternoon for the visitors.
The hosts must now show their character and without delay as they travel to division title favourites Haywards Heath on Tuesday night in the Sussex FA RUR Charity Cup where they can expect anything but an easy ride.