THERE was something eerily familiar about Worcester City’s mauling in Maidenhead.

Something which suggested we had seen this before. A distinct case of déjà vu.

But, of course, we had — in Hucknall 12 months ago.

Saturday’s thrashing, which ended City’s unbeaten away record, was virtually a year to the day since City were humiliated by the same scoreline in Derbyshire.

It was a result that ultimately cost Andy Preece his job and saw John Barton installed as caretaker.

Not that current boss Richard Dryden should be fearing the same fate — far from it — but he will be keen to erase this horror show from the memory as quickly as possible.

Like James McKeown last October, the game will be one the goalkeeper — in this case Danny McDonnell — will want to forget.

Despite pulling off a crucial save to deny Maidenhead a fourth before the break, a short-on-confidence McDonnell was caught out for the hosts’ three first-half goals.

But the City custodian was also left exposed by his usually reliable defence on a day when the visitors were run ragged all over the park.

Maidenhead looked every bit a team that will be challenging for the play-offs come April but they were also helped on their way by Worcester’s sloppy play.

Dryden’s side were guilty of giving the ball away cheaply in midfield and wasting possession with aimless punts forward.

The writing was on the wall from as early as the second minute and went downhill, quite literally with the York Road slope, from there.

Just one minute and 14 seconds were on the clock when Jamal Fyfield delivered a first-time cross from the left and Maidenhead skipper Ashley Nicholls looped a header over the back-pedalling McDonnell.

The Magpies doubled their lead eight minutes later. The dangerous Dale Binns’ free-kick was parried by McDonnell into the path of Rocky Baptiste and the former Havant and Waterlooville striker had an easy tap-in from inside the six-yard box.

Things got even worse for the visitors eight minutes before half-time as Maidenhead were awarded a free-kick on the right flank after Michael McGrath had been booked for shirt pulling.

Binns swung over what looked to be a cross but McDonnell misjudged the flight of the ball and it sailed past his outstretched arm into the top corner.

McDonnell did, though, redeem himself five minutes later as he got down low to turn Richard Pacquette’s strike against the post.

The best City could muster was two corners in quick succession towards the end of the first-half but they could not trouble keeper Shane Gore.

City held out for 14 minutes after the break before conceding again. The visitors squandered possession in midfield and Baptiste threaded the loose ball through a static defence for Pacquette to slide home the fourth.

If City needed any further proof of Pacquette’s ability, a player who scored at Anfield for Havant last season, they got it on 71 minutes.

Ashley Smith played the ball in from the right and Pacquette turned neatly on the edge of the area before crashing a left-foot bullet beyond McDonnell.

Sub Jermaine Hinds was then booked for an aerial challenge on Jon Richardson that left the City centre-half with a head wound.

McDonnell later denied the hosts a sixth with an excellent save to tip Binns’ powerful strike past the post.