Saturday 15^th October 2008

MARCH T. UNITED 4, BLOATERS 2

March – Chris Anker, James Richardson, Lawrie Brand, Dave Weston, Michael Anker, Craig Norman, Finlay Clarkson, Harry Roe, James McCallum, Luke Pepper (c), Ashley Brand. Subs: Adam Sutton, Sam Murphy, Denny Escorcio.

Bloaters – Elliot Pride, Johnathan Watt, Adam Sewell, Toby Gorbould, Adrian Ager, Alan Darby, Chris Squire, Adam Sullivan (c), Stewart Roach, Dominic Smith, Scott Woodcock. Subs: Jake Reed, Liam Bartley, Tommy Gardiner, Michael Hilton.

Referee – Martin Burroughs (Bury St Edmunds)

The Yarmouth line-up resumed something like normality with the returns of Stewart Roach and Scott Woodcock who both missed Tuesday’s home defeat, though Gareth Palmer was absent ill and Ollie Savage was still on the injured list. The news of Darren Lamb, who suffered a broken leg in a Sunday game recently, is that he has had a pin inserted and is able to walk on crutches, but is not expected to return this season.

On a bleak afternoon in Cambridgeshire, the home side kicked off but it was Yarmouth who attacked first through Woodcock who, having received a ball from Sewell, raced down the left but his cross was collected by Anker. Two long throws from Sewell caused March problems, the first being put out for a corner, and the second seeing Anker forced to punch away. Pepper then hit the Hares first effort wide after a free kick.

Several March players had already needed treatment and it had been a stop-start opening quarter-hour, but on 18 minutes March surprisingly took the lead. A free kick was seized upon on the edge of the box by Norman whose shot bounced awkwardly and high in front of Pride and ended up in the net.

A foul on Roach by M Anker saw Adrian Ager’s free kick headed away but returned by Smith whose long-range shot went straight to Anker in goal. After 25 minutes a high cross by Woodcock saw Smith go for a header but Anker was first to the ball. At the other end, Pride took McCallum’s header from Roe’s cross.

Another Sewell long throw led to another corner but again Anker made it his. Woodcock on the left again received from Sewell, and ran up to shoot just past the post. It was Sewell’s last piece of action as he was suffering from an earlier injury and was replaced by Bartley on 30 minutes.

Immediately Yarmouth went further behind: March broke quickly from defence, Ashley Brand received the ball on the left, ran on ten yards and cut inside to fire confidently past Pride from 15 yards.

Yarmouth, stirred into reaction, fought back and Woodcock raced away in typical style only for his shot to go straight at Anker. March brought on Sutton for M Anker but a mistake gave the Bloaters a chance and a Roach downwards headed pass was put out for another corner: Ager went up and fought for the ball which broke to Watt on the right but his attempted centre was mishit wide. A second cross by Watt was better aimed but Anker picked it up by the post.

As half-time approached, Reed was unlucky to see his header from Woodcock’s cross kicked off the line by Norman.

HT 2-0

Yarmouth would need to stage one of the great comebacks to get back into this game but it was Pride who saw early action in the half, tipping over a Roe shot for a corner which March put wide.

The Bloaters’ gloom deepened in the 54^th minute as March went three-up with a good finish from Brand who was played into the right of the box and hit his shot across Pride and into the far corner for his second of the game

But Yarmouth hit back straight away through Woodcock who brought down a pass, turned inside and fired past Anker.

Yarmouth’s joy was short-lived, as the diminutive fire-Brand made it 4-1 to March in the 56^th minute, shooting from the left side and in off the post.

The excitement continued as Sullivan went close when he shot narrowly wide in the next minute, then Roach headed into Anker’s hands from a high Woodcock cross. Yarmouth then brought on Bartley for Watt as they went all out for more goals to get back into the game and preserve their unbeaten league run.

A second goal did indeed come from the substitute, his fourth in six games, after 68 minutes: Reed, who had brought a new liveliness to the Yarmouth attack, chased an apparently lost cause and won a corner which Woodcock sent to the far post where Sullivan nodded back to Bartley who headed over the line from two yards.

Another Woodcock corner kick was won in the 72^nd minute but as the kick came over a Yarmouth foul brought play to a halt, with Ager getting booked for dissent over the incident. Reed was putting his heart and soul into the game and won several free kicks in the late stages of the game but Yarmouth were unable to profit. Pride prevented a fifth goal by coming out to block from Brand in the closing minutes.

It was a disappointing and lack-lustre way to end the nine-match unbeaten run, the third-equal best start to a season for the Bloaters in Eastern Counties League football, which saw Yarmouth drop from third place to fifth.

Attendance - 60