Steve Castle’s Royston Town moved eight points clear of second-placed Farnborough in Southern League Division One Central with a fine come-from-behind 4-1 victory at Ashford Town (Middlesex) on Tuesday night.

An own goal was added to by strikes from Kaan Fehmi, Danny May and Rod Orlando-Young as the league leaders took another giant step towards the title.

It wasn’t the beginning that the Town traveling faithful had hoped for.

One minute in and they were one down.

A central move caught the Royston defenders flat-footed and Bayley Mummery struck a superb lobbed effort past Joe Welch before he could react.

This was the first time in 2017 that Town had gone behind in a game.

The visitors reacted and a good period of play brought the equaliser.

Rod Orlando-Young found himself through on goal and a flicked left foot shot was palmed wide for a corner on 13 minutes.

The corner was again sent in dangerously by Danny May and Ryan Frater made a run to the near post

The ball was dummied by the big man and arrived to Ashford’s Max Webb fast and uncontrollable and he parried into his own net under significant challenge from Dan Brathwaite.

Five minutes later and Royston took the lead.

A fine through-ball by Adam Watkins found Kaan Fehmi who slotted past the already-falling keeper.

Another effort from Fehmi nearly brought another Webb own goal and Matt Nolan should have done better on 26 minutes when through on goal following a defender mix-up but his scuffed shot was well saved by Tyler Tobin in the Ashford goal.

The third Royston goal came on the half-hour mark with May hitting a screamer.

Scott Bridges teed him up and with power and placement he beat Tobin from 19 yards.

John Frendo entered the fray for Nolan at the break as Royston began the second half on the front foot.

Their pressure brought a penalty on 51 minutes as Adam Watkins was upended.

Bridges stepped up but uncharacteristically blasted the spot-kick high over the bar.

Not to be put off Royston continued their onslaught and a fine move on 54 minutes nearly brought winger Orlando-Young a goal.

A cut-back by Bridges was cleverly dummied by Frendo and Orlando-Young arrived to shoot low.

Tobin did well with a save with his legs although he might not have known much about it.

Despite being ahead the Crows were keen to kill this game off with another goal but a patchy period of play seemed to give their hosts a meagre hope of getting a score back.

However, the game was put to bed with more good link up play between Frendo and man of the match Orlando-Young.

An elongated one-two move split the defenders and found the veteran striker in a central position and he finished the move with an expert first-time shot into the net.

Royston host third-placed AFC Dunstable at Garden Walk on Saturday.