To their credit, the Woodpeckers fought back well thereafter when other sides may have caved in completely and lost by a cricket score.

Woodbridge went into the match without a recognised striker - Tony Boto and Lee O'Neill were ruled out by injury and Allicion Blake was only fit enough to sit on the bench and was not risked.

Lowestoft took the lead after just two minutes when Richard Woodrow's well-struck effort - similar to Michael Owen's second goal against Russia last week - flew over Marcus Garnham. Worse was to follow when a corner was only cleared as far as Craig Lewis on the right and his cross to the far post found Darren Cockrill completely unmarked to score with a downward header just inside the post.

Aaron Churchyard was not far off target at the end of a good run as Woodbridge tried to get a foothold in the game, but they fell 3-0 behind when Ben Garnham was dispossessed on the edge of the Lowestoft penalty area following a corner and the home team broke the length of the field at speed for Russell Stock to feed Carl Poppy who finished well.

Marcus Garnham pulled off a fine save diving low down to his right to deny Gary McGee for a second time - the first was an arguably better save going full-length to his left just before the second goal - before Arran Sheppard drifted a header just wide from Ben Garnham's cross.

Churchyard went close with another shot on the half hour after picking up a loose ball before Jamie Godbold's cross dropped in off the far post five minutes later to make it 4-0.

Sheppard showed good determination to win two tackles and hit a 25-yarder just wide of Adam Rix's goal and Luke Read, starting a league game for the first time this season, flicked over the bar after good approach play by Paul Berry down the left.

Paul Hart, pressed into the unfamilair role of centre forward, was desperately unlucky to see his floated chip bounce back off the base of the far post just before the half-time break. Marcus Garham had to save well from Stock on the resumption after a wayward crossfield Jamie Scales pass before Hart hooked a shot over the bar and Read then saw a cleanly-hit effort turned away by Rix who also denied him after good approach play between Berry and Hart.

Woodbridge's attacking play was finally rewarded in the 67th minute when Ben Seaman seized on Grant Monaghan's hanging cross when it fell to him to bury his shot beyond Rix. Ben Garnham and Read were then replaced by Jon Bickers and Liam Hillyard before Hart saw a header from Monaghan's cross saved by Rix and another header drop just wide after good work by Berry.

Woodrow went close at the other end before Dale Cockrill drilled home from just outside the area after Marcus Garnham had punched a cross clear.

Substitute Bickers, who injured his thigh, was himself replaced by Ben Miller with 10 minutes remaining before Woodbridge finished with a flourish.

Rix superbly tipped over Hart's shot following Monaghan's low driven cross and then Churchyard capitalised on slack defending to pull back a goal.

In injury time Berry and Hillyard combined down the left for Berry to run on and squeeze his shot beneath Rix to give the final scoreline a more respectable look from Woodbridge's point of view.

Woodbridge team: Marcus Garnham, Arran Sheppard, Mark Roper, Jamie Scales, Grant Monaghan, Luke Read (sub Liam Hillyard 67 mins), Aaron Churchyard, Ben Garnham (sub Jon Bickers 67 mins, sub Ben Miller 80 mins), Paul Berry, Ben Seaman. Unusued sub: Allicion Blake.