Cambridge United 7 Forest Green Rovers 0

From heroes to zeros in the space of five days, Forest Green were given a humiliating reminder of what happens when passengers outweigh proactive players in a paper-thin squad.

Gone was the steely determination from the draw at Oxford, replaced by a kamikaze approach that was summed up by goalkeeper Terry Burton's petulant sending-off in the 49th minute.

Danny Crow, Chris Holroyd and substitute Sam Ives all scored twice for the rampant hosts before the ultimate insult, a 90th-minute strike from ex-Rover Mark Beesley, which confirmed the visitors' heaviest defeat in the Conference era.

An error by Steve Adams gifted Cambridge the lead on 44 minutes, as former Lawn favourite Wayne Hatswell seized possession and cut the ball back for Crow to smash past Burton from the middle of the area.

Rovers actually had the first sight of goal in the second half, Paul Stonehouse firing over from 20 yards, but moments later Holroyd raced onto Robbie Willmott's through-ball to make it 2-0.

The result was already virtually beyond doubt, so a drubbing was well and truly in the offing when Burton dashed off his line to claim a bouncing ball and caught Holroyd in the ribs with a high boot.

Referee Mike Bull immediately pointed to the spot, and he had no option but to produce the red card when the furious goalkeeper slammed the ball into the turf and missed him by inches.

Enter 17-year-old Tom Pass, who has excelled between the sticks for Hartpury College and England Schoolboys but had never before played in a competitive first-team fixture for his club.

His first task was to dive in vain for Crow's clinical spot-kick, and he was beaten again in the 65th minute when Holroyd sprang the offside trap and slotted his ninth of the campaign – more than double what Rovers have managed collectively in eight matches.

Cambridge were now toying with shellshocked opposition, and they made it five three minutes later thanks to more clever play from Crow. His shot was well saved by Pass but fell for Ives to net within seconds of entering the fray.

It got worse, as Brian Saah picked out Ives with a raking long pass and the young frontman finished via Pass' despairing outstretched glove.

Fellow substitute Beesley will always be associated with Rovers' days under Jim Harvey, and the Liverpudlian served up a reminder of his quality with an emphatic volleyed strike after more shoddy defending.

It meant the Nailsworth outfit had officially plumbed new depths, beating the 7-1 home defeat by Hereford United in 2003-04.