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Saturday 25th August 2007
MARCH TOWN UNITED 2, BLOATERS 3
Manager Nick
Banham found himself with more selection problems for today’s match with Tommy Hurd (injured) and Robbie Oldham (ill)
both joining the list of unavailable players. Thankfully, Jody Harrison was back from holiday. Adam Sewell was given his first
start in Yarmouth colours and was joined by his Youth team
colleagues Paul Gartland and Carl Hatton on the bench with Jordan Hardy the third substitute. Toby Gorbould also had his first
start of the season after two games as a substitute.
The game got
off to an explosive start: March kicked off into bright sunshine and immediately attacked Banham’s goal through Adam
Weston who forced a diving save out of the Bloaters’ keeper, but two minutes later Yarmouth were in front, albeit from
an own goal. Mark Thompson’s cross caused confusion in the home defence and the partially-cleared ball was returned
by Bobby Hill only for central defender Andy Bryan to send the ball into the far corner of his own net via
a glancing header.
Both ‘keepers
were forced out of their areas to kick clear before Weston again found space on the edge of the area but his effort from Lawrie
Brand’s cross was smartly taken by Banham. In Yarmouth’s
next attack, a cross from Jacob Short was well taken by Lee Brooks in the home goal as Liam Bartley challenged.
Short then
set off on a glorious diagonal run past several opponents, but his eventual cross was cut out on the edge of the March box.
However, as the move continued, a return ball into the area was dropped by Brooks at Bartley’s feet but the youngster
was beaten to it by the quicker reactions of the ‘keeper.
Yarmouth suffered more injury woe in the 17th minute as Hill limped off with
a leg injury to be replaced by Hardy. March capitalised on the disruption and forced a series of corners from the third of
which Bryan shot wide at the back post.
Banham produced
a great clearance after 25 minutes which caught the March defence in two minds but as Bartley bore down Brooks eventually
came out with the ball. Four minutes later March found an equaliser. Olly Harrison had just cleared the home bar from twenty
yards following a move created by Thompson and James Underhill but as March counter-attacked a cross from their left winger Talal Kamara
was pushed onto the base of the far post by Banham and Lawrie Brand slammed home the loose ball on a tight
angle.
In their next
attack, Yarmouth won their first corner of the game, then Rory Wheeler was booked for bringing down Underhill who was in full
flight on the Yarmouth left but Thompson’s free kick was headed clear. Banham used his feet well to save another March
effort, as did Brooks when the Bloaters next attacked. Kamara looked to have a good opening but Toby Gorbould just got a toe
to the ball in the nick of time. As the interval approached, Bryan needed lengthy treatment
but he returned as Yarmouth won their second corner of the
half.
HT
1-1
Yarmouth had the
first chance on the resumption as a corner kick was played around the March area with Underhill getting the final touch, a
header that went straight to Brooks. A tackle by Hardy saved a situation for Yarmouth, but soon after March were given a penalty
as Lewis tackled Lawrie Brand on the edge of the box. March captain Luke Pepper was too hot from the spot
for Banham in the 54th minute and Yarmouth now
looked to have an uphill battle on their hands.
However, the
Bloaters drew strength from their adversity and Gorbould’s header from a corner showed they were not out of it yet.
March were made to rue a missed a chance as Banham scrambled the ball to safety when Yarmouth
equalised in the 64th minute. A Thompson corner from the left was not dealt with adequately by the home defence
and Bartley seized his chance to make it 2-2 with a header.
Yarmouth immediately
replaced Gorbould with Carl Hatton making his debut; the youngster straight away sent an enormous throw deep into the March
box, forcing Brooks out to punch clear. Then Brooks again showed his propensity to kick rather than gather as he dispatched
a Bartley shot with his boot.
Yarmouth were
now attacking more freely than at any time in the match and also looked sound in defence with Sewell growing in confidence.
On 70 minutes, another debutant entered the fray as 17-year old Paul Gartland replaced Underhill and the ex-Charlton Athletic
youngster showed some neat touches in midfield, then took a shot from some 22 yards which slewed wide.
Little was
now being seen of March as an attacking force except for a Kamara free kick which went over the top and a Leckie close-range
header which Banham clawed down.
Then, with
the game in its 90th minute and the Yarmouth contingent
anxiously looking at their timepieces, Gartland stunned everybody with a shot of exquisite excellence: with
his path to goal blocked he side-stepped his opponent, looked up and took aim and his effort curled past the startled Brooks.
What an entrance to Ridgeons football!
However, a
zealous referee had to have the last word booking Short, Ashley Brand and Pepper in three separate incidents.
Yarmouth – Nick Banham,
Toby Gorbould (Carl Hatton 65), Adam Sewell, Jody Harrison (c.), Will Lewis, Bobby Hill (Jordan
Hardy 17), Olly Harrison, Jacob Short, Liam Bartley, James Underhill (Paul Gartland 70), Mark Thompson.
Referee – J Marin (Cambridge)
Attendance - 103
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Fri. 17th August 2007
WOODBRIDGE TOWN
5, BLOATERS 0
FA Cup Extra-Preliminary Round
The one change from the side
that started against Thetford saw Daniel Barnes given his first senior start
following the hamstring injury to Lee Perry.
Premier Division Woodbridge kicked
off and made early progress down the left but an offside decision brought the first attack to a stop. The home side continued
to build well from the back and Barnes received a lecture for bringing down the left winger by the corner flag. From Ben Seaman’s
free kick, Grant Monaghan crossed to Allicion Blake whose header was directed straight at Nick Banham after five minutes.
A shot from Jonathan Bickers
and another from Aaron Churchyard after a corner both went wide before the Woodpeckers took a tenth minute lead following
their second corner of the match, the ball eventually finding its way to the back post where the unmarked Mark Roper
was able to pick his spot.
In all this activity from Woodbridge,
the Bloaters had been hard-pressed to create anything of their own with frequent long balls being swallowed up by the home
defence, but after a quarter of an hour Bobby Hill, Mark Thompson and Robbie Oldham combined with a neat move but the home
defence won out.
Liam Bartley went close in the
16th minute after Underhill won the ball with typical tenacity but the lob just cleared the bar. Yarmouth grew in confidence after this as they began to play their passing football and a
good ball from Jacob Short found Underhill who forced a hasty clearance from ‘keeper Marcus Garnham.
Banham punched away a cross as
a home striker’s head also went for the ball but Yarmouth
were generally seeing more of the ball than earlier with some quick-thinking tackling winning them possession. A Hill free
kick in the 24th minute was too long and high, then Bartley won a corner in the 26th minute which led
to another.
Woodbridge were becoming frustrated
by frequent offside decisions against them, and Yarmouth went close again in the 35th minute when a mistake in
the home defence presented the ball to Bartley who, with Underhill waiting for the pass, elected to shoot instead but his
shot spun wide.
In the 38th minute, it was the
home side that had a chance but Banham dived bravely at the feet of Lee O’Neil to push the ball away from his line following
a corner, and a minute later from another corner Banham eventually picked up after a bit of a scramble.
Garnham was forced to punch clear
as Thompson went for a high ball and minutes later the ‘keeper dropped the ball but Short couldn’t quite get to
it quickly enough. Right on half time, a lob from Paul Hart was taken by Banham under the bar.
After the early goal, Yarmouth fought back and competed well but had not greatly troubled
Garnham.
HT 1-0
A second Woodbridge
goal immediately on the resumption undid all the hard work Yarmouth
had put in before the break. Banham diverted Seaman’s shot round his left post and Roper converted
the corner for his second goal of the game. Yarmouth now had an uphill task to get back into
the tie as Woodbridge began to remind Yarmouth
supporters of the gulf in class between the two divisions.
Yarmouth brought on Andy Hayton and Johnny Watt after 54 minutes and two
fouls on Watt gave the Bloaters free kicks in midfield but Yarmouth
opted to deliver long balls into the Woodpecker’s box where they met the same fate as earlier attempts.
Woodbridge had learnt a lesson from the first half and were not falling foul
of offside but with the game seemingly won and lost goal chances became few. Yarmouth
continued to look better when they played football on the ground but the occasional long ball predictably
met a defender’s head.
Toby Gorbould made his first
appearance after 77 minutes but two minutes later Banham was again in the thick of the action producing a flying save from
Blake. But the dominant home side scored twice in two minutes to put the tie well and truly out of Yarmouth’s recall.
Blake seized on a rare through ball down the middle and ran on to beat the advancing Banham in the
81st minute, and two minutes later it was 4-0 through Jonathan Bickers.
Woodbridge went nap two minutes from the end when Lewis tripped
Woodbridge substitute Paul Berry and Roper
converted the penalty for his hat-trick. In a last attempt to restore a little pride to the Bloaters, Hayton fired wide from
an 89th minute corner.
This defeat was Yarmouth’s worst in the FA Cup since 1981 and the biggest margin of loss since losing
0-6 to Harwich in1921!
Team – Nick Banham, Olly Harrison (Toby Gorbould 77), Tommy Hurd, Will Lewis, Daniel Barnes,
Bobby Hill, Jacob Short, Robbie Oldham (Johnathan Watt 54), Liam Bartley, James Underhill, Mark Thompson (Andy Hayton 54).
Unused sub: Adam Sewell
Referee – A Crysell (Braintree)
Attendance - 105
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Tues.
14th Aug. 2007
THETFORD TOWN 0, BLOATERS 1
With
the season only two games in, Yarmouth are already experiencing selection problems. Damien Didwell (injury), Jody Harrison
(holiday) and Chris Owen (holiday) are currently unavailable and following this game Lee Perry now misses Friday’s
game at Woodbridge while Robbie Oldham is doubtful. Central
defender Perry pulled up with a hamstring injury after barely 15 minutes and midfielder Oldham lasted
until the 77th minute before going off having received a knock to the stomach minutes earlier.
These
losses took the shine off a gutsy performance that earned the Bloaters their first three points of the season. “We had
a poor first half,” said manager Nick Banham, “but put in a better showing after the interval. And after all,
three points is three points!” Of the most serious injury, Banham said: “Perry won’t play at Woodbridge and with no midweek game next week will hopefully have time to recover before
we go to March on Saturday.”
The
goal, coming after 62 minutes, was Liam Bartley’s first of the season in his first game, having missed
the Saffron Walden trip because he was with the Under 18s at Colney. James
Underhill was the unselfish provider after a breakaway move, when he
could have had a shot himself.
Although
there were scares and thrills for both teams at either end of the pitch, the game was a bit harum-scarum and needed someone
to put their foot on the ball.
Thetford’s
Karl Paske put a cross onto the Yarmouth bar in only the second minute with the visitors appealing in vain for offside, and
three minutes later Bartley provided Underhill with a chance but home ‘keeper Lee Hulyer just got a touch on it.
A
tenth minute mistake in the Yarmouth midfield gave the Brecklanders
an opening with the shot hitting the post before Daniel Barnes replaced Perry, and very effectively he did too.
Thetford
won corners aplenty and were finding space on their right, but Yarmouth
defended capably and when they attacked Bartley fired wide, the Bloaters first shot, after 24 minutes.
Underhill
jinked a lovely pass over the home defence for Bartley who looked to be in on goal and it was not until several seconds later
that the offside flag was raised.
The
second half was played in constant rain but Thetford thought they had taken the lead after 55 minutes when Oldham
appeared to put the ball over his own goal line after a free kick but an offside decision silenced the home fans.
Underhill
and Bartley were a lively pairing up front with good support from Jacob Short and Yarmouth
began to get on top midway through the second half. 17 year-old Adam Sewell went on for his debut when Oldham retired hurt
and proved himself a battler as the home side put on some late pressure though Yarmouth had the chance for a second goal after
a hand-ball offence by Craig Skipp but Mark Thompson’s free kick crashed against the defensive wall with the follow-up
shot suffering the same fate.
Yarmouth
– Nick Banham, Olly Harrison, Tommy Hurd, Will Lewis, Lee Perry (Daniel Barnes 14), Bobby Hill, Jacob Short, Robbie
Oldham (Adam Sewell 77), Liam Bartley, James Underhill, Mark Thompson. Unused sub: Andy Hayton.
Referee
– R Webb
Attendance
- 51
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Sat. 11th
Aug. 2007
SAFFRON
WALDEN TOWN 2, BLOATERS 1
Manager Nick Banham’s
opening day team selection was governed to some extent by injury and unavailability but included four players making their
competitive first team debuts: Tommy Hurd and Lee Perry in defence, Bobby Hill in midfield and James Underhill in attack. Hill previously
played two seasons in the Youth team (2002-2004) while Underhill played eleven games for the Reserves last season and Perry
has also previously played for the Reserves.
Yarmouth, captained by Hill in the absence of Jody Harrison, were forced to defend two corners
in the first five minutes but in the seventh minute constructed a lovely four-man move which saw Jacob Short shoot on the
angle just past the back post.
Saffron Walden, with substantially
the same side that lost only one home game last season, won a number of free kicks in the early stages and one from captain
Tommy Butchart took some defending with the ball bobbling around Yarmouth’s area. The Bloaters eventually won a free
kick with Walden’s Ben Smith receiving words from the referee.
Yarmouth created their second good chance in the 11th minute when Hill who had
burst through from midfield was brought down on the edge of the home area. He took the kick himself but it rebounded off a
strong wall of players.
The Bloaters were looking
solid in defence and lively in attack and took the lead after a quarter of an hour. Underhill
received a pass down the right, took the ball on past two challenges and beat ‘keeper Kieron Badcock from 20 yards for
his first senior goal.
But five minutes later
Walden were level: Richard Chadwick went down in the Yarmouth
area under challenge from Olly Harrison and the referee had no hesitation in awarding the penalty, Kevin Vallis beating Banham low by his right-hand post.Chadwick
immediately missed a chance to put Walden ahead when his fierce low shot was deflected for a corner.
Banham went on a mission
out of his area and somehow Yarmouth got away with it with
the ball finally being cleared. Walden were strong on the right but debutant Tommy Hurd, who had impressed in the pre-season
matches, was firm in the tackle and showed great skill in coming away with the ball.
Underhill, another debutant
to put in some good pre-season performances including a hat-trick in the abandoned Lowestoft
game, showed he is not just a goalscorer with a winning tackle on a Walden defender as he tried to get the ball away.
An otherwise whistle-happy
referee saw nothing wrong as a Walden forward showed his studs to Banham and he awarded a corner to the home side which Hurd
comfortably headed away.
Yarmouth got away with some indecisive play in midfield after 40 minutes which presented
Walden with a shooting opportunity before Lee Perry, a rock in central defence, was ordered from the field to get a tiny blood
spill cleaned up. The Bloaters had the last attack of the half as Short got the ball to Robbie Oldham on the left of the home
area with the midfielder’s cross being charged down and cleared.
HT:
1-1
Oldham
became the first booking of the season for persistent fouling. In the 53rd minute, Underhill was fouled by Michael
Barker and Mark Thompson’s free kick forced a booming clearance for a corner which went unconverted.Two minutes later Walden missed a good opening when a swinging cross just failed
to connect with Smith’s head and as the ball was returned to the area a home foul brought Yarmouth relief.
Walden brought on substitutes
but Hurd went on and on through the middle of the park before passing to Underhill who beat two men only to see his shot cleared
unceremoniously for a throw.
Andy Hayton went on for
Oldham in the 64th minute and was straight away involved in a move down the right
which ended with Short shooting on a narrow angle but straight at Badcock. Will Lewis blocked a shot by Ben Riches and back
at the other end Hill went forward and turned well in the Walden area but his cross was just too long for Short!
In the 70th
minute a hanging free kick from Harrison was well taken by a leaping Badcock. Yarmouth
went close to retaking the lead after 71 minutes when Underhill cut a fine ball through the defence to Short who was forced
wide with his angled effort hitting the top of the crossbar.
Walden made their final
substitution before Hayton and Harrison combined on the right but the attack petered out
under the weight of numbers in the home area.
The game was end to end
and Hurd again joined in the attack but could not make room for a shot before Banham again went walkabout out of his area
but Walden were unable to capitalise.
In the 85th
minute Hurd became the second booking of the match after bringing down substitute Spike Bell in full flow on the Walden right
with a tackle that was mistimed rather than malicious but a poor free kick got Yarmouth
out of jail. Moments later, Hurd timed it right with a similar tackle to halt another of the increasingly desperate home attacks.
Riches’ flying header
was just wide from a free kick then Banham came out of goal to punch clear but as the game entered added time Yarmouth mounted a concerted attack through Thompson, Hill and Hayton.
However, it was Walden
who struck to take all the points after two and a half extra minutes.A throw from the Walden left found Yarmouth in confusion
by the near post and Riches toe-poked the ball over the line for an undeserved
winner.
Yarmouth will take great heart from this performance against one of the fancied sides last
season who must again be in with a chance this time around.
Yarmouth: Nick Banham, Olly
Harrison, Tommy Hurd, Will Lewis, Lee Perry, Bobby Hill (c), Robbie Oldham (Andy Hayton 64), Johnathan Watt, James Underhill,
Jacob Short, Mark Thompson. Unused subs: Daniel Barnes, Toby Gorbould
Referee: A Snell (Clacton)
Att: 193
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