If ever a football match gave credence to that tired old truism about a game being of two halves then this was it.

For a little over 45 minutes, Drayton played like drains with Shepshed no better.

Survival was the name of Shepshed’s game but they could have been two up in 10 minutes with Rob Norris rifling a shot just beyond the far post and Justin Jenkins heading narrowly wide from a corner, writes Terry Morris.

In fairness, neither side could be faulted for effort. They battled with bravery, grit and grim, oh so grim determination. Yes, it was that grim. But it was what it was – an unrewarding, edgy, undistinguished and generally ugly clash between teams sharing bottom place in the Evo-Stick South League.

But then after the break came the transformation.

A storming, sparkling Drayton performance that brought six goals and a mega boost to the team’s confidence.

“We really turned it around,” said Drayton boss, Simon Line, a master of understatement in public, if a little less so on the training ground and in the dressing room.

“It was pretty obvious in the first half that both teams were at the bottom of the league – but we played more as a team after the break, got the ball in the right areas and showed what we can really do when we work together.”

Whatever he and his management team said at half time, it worked wonders.

Town suddenly added much- needed direction to to their creditable determination and Shepshed, while still plucky to the end, were overwhelmed.

Three strikes in 11 roaraway minutes sealed their fate.

The crucial opening couple involved Martyn Davies, at last earning his rewards for continually working hard while playing through the sort of confidence-sapping bad patch every striker suffers.

He scored first on 47 minutes from a clear-cut penalty awarded when Billy Stubbs sent the speedy Rob Stevenson flying, then made the second from a low, curving fee kick with a header helped into the net by Shepshed’s impressive but unlucky captain, Iain Screaton.

Nicky Porter, a constant threat, capped a great solo run by thundering in the third and from there it was a question of how many more Drayton would get.

It was three – but could have been more. Davies skilfully stuck again on 72 minutes, sub Grant Goodhead marking his return from injury by hooking in a shot at the far post and Duncan Swann-Horler got the last, making a trademark late run into the box to finish one of the impressive moves Drayton were by then putting together.

On top of that, Stevenson, Dorryl Proffitt and sub Mark Grice all hit the woodwork at various stages of the game and keeper Gavin Saxby made some brave saves late on.