The Yellamen were clearly hurting from Saturday’s defeat, and reacted in the best possibly way with three goals in the opening ten minutes to all but kill the game.

Matt Jones opened the floodgates in the fifth minute when he controlled a Rob Saunders free-kick and slotted home.

Damien Markman doubled the lead a minute later, before Lee Boon intercepted an underhit backpass to slot home from close range and make it 3-0.

With the game over, Ascot poured forward and grabbed a fourth when Dave Hancock’s right-wing cross was stabbed home by Markman.

TJ Bohane pulled one back for Highworth in the second-half, but that was as good as it got for the visitors as Ascot saw the game out for a comfortable win.

It was the perfect response to Saturday's defeat at Highmoor Ibis.

Jeff Lamb’s men went into the game on the back of seven straight wins in the league, while their opponents had won five in a row.

But in a scrappy affair that failed to reflect the form or ability of these sides, a solitary 12th minute goal from Anthony White was enough to give Ibis victory.

The Yellamen responded disappointingly and assistant manager Paul McGrotty had no complaints at full time.

“It wasn’t a positive advert for Hellenic League football,” he said. “It was a poor affair and we gifted them a goal early on which we never recovered from.

“As soon as they got ahead, they were happy to run the clock down and kill our momentum and it worked as we didn’t have the rhythm or ability to break them down.

“We didn’t play well and we didn’t match them. We had a couple of chances and a draw might’ve been fair but we certainly didn’t deserve to win.

“We had a chance to score early on but it went the other way two minutes later and we didn’t respond well enough.” Ibis had conceded just one goal in their last five league games, but the Yellamen nearly matched that total within the first 10 minutes as Jermaine Roche went close.

Daryl McLean whipped in a dangerous cross but Roche couldn’t get enough on it to divert it into the goal.

And the Yellamen were made to regret it moments later when they gifted Ibis the opening goal after a mistake from Chris Grace in the Ascot goal.

A long clearance saw the keeper come rushing out of his box, but the bounce on the ball meant he could only head it up in the air, allowing White to nod the ball into an empty net.

It was a mistake from Grace but Ibis were happy to accept, scoring the vital first goal in the contest.

In a tight affair, it was the home side who went closest to a second but White’s chip was narrowly wide when through on goal.

A long range effort from Joe Gritt flew over the bar in added time at the end of the first-half, but that was as close as the Yellamen got to restoring parity in a disappointing first-half.

The second-half followed in the same vein, with Ascot struggling to create chances in a close encounter.

The best chance came in the 75th minute, when Matt Jones’ diving header from a Damien Markman cross went inches wide.

Grace was then called into action four minutes later as a stunning diving save saw him tip Jahmal White’s effort past the post.

But with Ascot struggling, they failed to create any other chances and Ibis held on for a vital win at the top of the Premier Division.

Ascot are in Bluefin Sports Challenge Cup action on Saturday, with a trip to Penn & Tylers Green (3pm), before returning to league action with a trip to Flackwell Heath on Tuesday (7.45pm).