Two goals at the end of the first half helped pave the way to three points for the Greens against hosts who were reduced to 10 men for 50 minutes.

Stewart Larter made just one change from the side that had beaten Fakenham last time out. Sean Perfect was out ill and Aarron Taylor returned in an unfamiliar right back position.

Hadleigh came close to breaking the deadlock in the ninth minute. Jackson Ramm was robbed by Ben Regan and he whipped in a low cross to Kyron Andrews who flicked it goalwards but straight into keeper Scott Foreman’s arms.

Gorleston really should have taken the lead in the 16th minute. Ramm got to the byline on the right before crossing to an unmarked Ross Gilfedder in front of goal three yards out but somehow the striker, who had hit the net four times in the previous match, skied the ball over.

The game turned in Gorleston’s favour five minutes before the break. When keeper Nick Punter parried Gilfedder’s effort it arrived at the feet of Joel Watts at the back post. He drilled towards the net only to be denied by a diving save from defender Ben Golding, who was promptly shown a red card. Watts stepped up to confidently dispatch the penalty and put his side ahead.

Gorleston doubled their lead four minutes into first half stoppage time. Gilfedder burst into the right of the box and pulled the ball back to Watts. He fed Nathan Russell and he slotted it into the net despite the best efforts of a defender on the line.

After the break Watts had a 22 yard free-kick kept out by a diving save from Punter but, on the hour, the hosts pulled a goal back. Andrews had plenty of time to put in a cross from the left to where the experienced Smy arrived unmarked to steer the ball into the goal.

Despite being a man short Hadleigh were having the better of the play, with the Greens struggling for any cohesion, and the hosts were looking the most likely to score next.

But chances came and went and with five minutes remaining the Greens more or less sealed the points. Kyle Ingram tried his luck from the edge of the box and the ball ricocheted into the path of Peter Lambert who fired in to the roof of the net.

Gorleston: Foreman, Taylor, Goreham, Burrage (Lambert 65), Shade, French, Fatadjo (Russell 18), Ramm, Gilfedder, McKay (Ingram 80), Watts.