Saturday 12^th January 2008

DISS TOWN 5, BLOATERS 1

It has been a busy week for Yarmouth manager Kevin Cruickshank and he gave debuts to former Youth player Steve Taylor and ex-Halvergate Paul Dyer. Ben Le Compte was given his first appearance since re-signing recently while Tommy Hurd returned after injury. Injuries to Josh Hull and Kevin Leggett saw Paul Andrews return to Paul Tong’s Diss team, and he was joined by Matty Hyland who signed from Stowmarket on Friday. Alan North was fit again and replaced ex-Bloater Chris Owen who was amongst the Diss substitutes.

A stunning first half performance from Danny Partridge saw him score four goals to take his tally to eleven from his last four games, but Yarmouth went lose to taking the lead in the third minute when a 30-yard shot by Stewart Roach took a big deflection. Michael Hilton was diving the wrong way but managed to divert it onto the post before Chris Andrews completed the goal-line clearance at the expense of a corner kick.

New Yarmouth signing Taylor looked composed in midfield and his pass to Le Compte in the centre circle saw the former Kirkley player brought down for a free kick. However, a sixth-minute counter attack by Diss produced a long ball from Steve Best to Partridge out on the Diss left where the striker just avoided offside and chipped the ball over the advancing Elliott Pride and into the far corner for the lead.

Roach produced a good turn to beat Best and fire wide, but Diss doubled their advantage four minutes later. Another long ball from Best again found Partridge who brought the ball under control on the edge of the Yarmouth area and after taking the ball on a few yards he unleashed a flashing shot again to the far corner for 2-0.

Yarmouth’s travelling young supporters, something previously unseen, were undaunted and produced a noisy atmosphere which enhanced the action on the pitch. Chances continue to come at both ends and Roach had a shot parried by Hilton with Nicky Crawley unable to control the rebound for a decent shot. Then Best shot a yard wide as Pride left his area in what proved a fruitless chase for the ball after his own poor clearance.

Roach was fouled by Greg Devlin on the right touchline but Diss were celebrating again as that man Partridge completed a 19-minute hat-trick following a 40 yard run off a Dale Vince pass.

A good pass by Taylor to Crawley on the Yarmouth left gave the striker a run towards the by-line but then he put just a little too much on the ball which ran out for a goal kick despite his efforts to catch up and at least win a corner. The cross bar denied Partridge a fourth on 27 minutes when he powered a header goalwards from a North centre. A minute later, a Roach long throw reached Le Compte about 30 yards out and his dipping lob almost deceived Hilton, but the Diss ‘keeper got a finger on it to give Yarmouth another corner. after 29 minutes.

Tommy Hurd, moving up into midfield, made room for a shot which was high, then Crawley supplied Roach whose effort was cleared for a throw. From this, Roach and Dyer created a chance for the former whose shot on the turn was just wide.

Back came Diss and Gareth Palmer conceded a free kick which he then headed away. Despite the Bloaters’ dire situation, the Barmy Army would not be silenced, even when Partridge notched his fourth in the 40^th minute when Ryland beat Johnathan Watt and crossed for Partridge to head in from close range.

HT 4-0

Yarmouth immediately bought on Jody Harrison with Palmer having taken a knock on the ankle. The Bloaters started with a flurry of attacks as Dale Gordon watched and encouraged from the touch line. Crawley won a corner which Roach headed to the far post where it was cleared, then Roach beat Ed Cussons to set up Crawley but his shot was pushed behind for another corner. Yarmouth clearly believed it was not yet all over and Dyer set off a flowing move across the pitch but this eventually foundered against weight of numbers in the Diss defence.

It was ten minutes into the half before the Tangerines mounted their first real assault since the break when Pride snatched the ball off Gavin Norman’s head on the edge of the area; seconds later, he was palming away a shot from Vince with Robbie Lawrence’s follow-up shot blocked. Toby Gorbould was then booked for a foul on Vince in the centre circle.

The end-to-end play continued with Adam Sewell showing up well in the Yarmouth right midfield, taking the ball into the  Diss area; when Watt also joined in, a corner was won which went straight across the area at head height with no-one on either side able to get a touch. Le Compte had bad luck on the hour when his goal-bound shot was tipped round by Hilton for yet another fruitless corner. More good control by Sewell allowed him to centre but unfortunately the ball only found a Diss defender.

Substitutions were made by both sides, with Diss’ Ben Deacon proving the most effective by giving the home side the nap hand in the 65^th minute. Best marched forward from defence, beating three men on the way, before playing the ball to Norman whose low cross was slid in from three yards out by Deacon.

After Nathan Drake replaced the hard-working Le Compte, Roach back-headed to Crawley but Hilton was equal to it again. Then the latest substitute provided a golden opportunity for Mark Thompson, on for Dyer, but Yarmouth’s leading scorer fluffed his lines and Hilton yet again kept the ball out. Roach and Sewell were denied more chances for the visitors before Vince went down injured, to hobble off after a few minutes on-field treatment. An unusual substitution saw ‘keeper Hilton strip off his jersey and take a midfield role while substitute Paul Snowden went in goal.

Roach had a shot blocked with Thompson shooting the follow-up wide as Yarmouth sought to save a little pride. However, the ‘keeper of that name demonstrated he had recovered his composure with some good stops and collects as Diss always looked likely to add to their score.

To the delight of the noisy travelling support, it was Yarmouth that did finally get on the scoresheet when Roach stabbed home a low cross from Thompson in the 90^th minute. Several minutes of added time, occasioned by the Vince injury, brought more chances for both sides: Pride got down smartly to deny Ryland a chance he should not have missed, and then Thompson went closest via a free kick, awarded for a handball on the edge of the Diss area, which missed at the far post by a whisker.

Yarmouth’s second-half performance was a vast improvement on the first when defensive errors cost them dear but Diss have the wind in their sails and look set fair for a promotion, if not championship, bid.

Bloaters – Elliott Pride, Johnathan Watt (c), Tommy Hurd, Ben Le Compte (Nathan Drake 69), Gareth Palmer (Jody Harrison 46), Toby Gorbould, Adam Sewell, Steve Taylor, Stewart Roach, Nicky Crawley, Paul Dyer (Mark Thompson 64).

Referee -  D Foreman (Ickworth). Attendance – 183

With thanks also to Diss correspondent, Tony Collins

Saturday 5^th January 2008

BLOATERS 0, THETFORD TOWN 5

Kevin Cruickshank had the luxury of an unchanged side for the first time since taking over the senior team at Wellesley Road. But that was where the good news ended as the Bloaters were well and truly grilled by a well-drilled Thetford side.

The goal parade started in only the eighth minute when some poor Yarmouth defending, that was to become the dominant feature of the afternoon, allowed Karl Pask an opportunity that he did not refuse.

Stewart Roach had a chance but the ball was put out for a corner. Through balls aimed for Nicky Crawley were Yarmouth’s early attacking ploy, and another such pass saw Crawley just beaten to it by defender Tom Smith who was able to touch the ball back to his ‘keeper. A timely tackle by Johnathan Watt conceded another corner to the visitors. Pride cut out a great cross but a poor throw-out gave Thetford another opportunity to attack from a throw-in and Luke Catchpole was just over with his shot.

After 16 minutes, a peach of a cross from Crawley missed the Roach head by a hairsbreadth or it would surely have been 1-1. It was 22 minutes before Yarmouth won their first corner which was headed away.

Roach showed his defending abilities, no doubt learnt while on centre-half duties at Leiston, with a headed clearance after a Thetford free kick, but Catchpole was not far away again with a 25-yard effort.

After 25 minutes, Mark Thompson was fouled on the edge of the Thetford area but his subsequent chipped free kick just cleared the bar. Thetford’s more convincing play continued to win them possession and corners but Pride blocked a close-range shot then took a high cross off Catchpole’s head.

Yarmouth were dealt a blow in the 37^th minute when Tommy Gardiner had to go off, continuing to suffer from an earlier injury; he was replaced by Jody Harrison. A bigger blow came three minutes later when the visitors doubled their lead.

Thompson had chased a loose ball into the Thetford box but only won a throw for his efforts. However, from the restart Thetford broke away and went two-up through Patrick Armes. The same player almost made it three moments later but his shot was narrowly wide at the far post. Right on the interval, Pride took a knock in a goalmouth scramble but resumed after treatment.

HT 0-2

Yarmouth made a second substitution after only 49 minutes when Marcus Godbold had to be replaced by Danny Crane, and a minute later there was more bad news for the Bloaters when Andrew Wood effectively put the game past Yarmouth’s reach. Watt completely missed an attempted interception in  midfield and Woods was on the error like a shot, taking the ball on and beating the onrushing Pride.

Yarmouth stuttered in all departments and home attacks of note were rarities. Crawley got in some crosses from the right but the Thetford defence was equal to everything Yarmouth attempted though when Thompson then battled down the left in combination with Gareth Palmer Yarmouth did at least win a corner.

Yarmouth brought on Liam Bartley for Robbie Oldham and Thetford made two substitutions but the visitors continued to look the more likely to score with the Bloaters fighting a rearguard action. However, Crawley won a corner and from Thompson’s kick the striker, who had so far scored in every game, sent in a glancing back-header straight at ‘keeper Lee Hulyer. Then Thetford survived a goalmouth scramble before they scored a fourth goal in the 77^th minute through Simon Mann after the home defence collapsed again.

Crane then fired in a fierce shot which went just over before Thetford did likewise from a free kick on the edge of the Yarmouth box. Thetford sent on their last substitute in the 80^th minute and made it a nap hand a minute later after Pride was adjudged by the referee’s assistant to have carried an Armes shot over the line amongst a crowd of players. It could have been six-nil in the 89^th minute but for a great tackle by Adam Sewell as Pride raced out of his area in an unsuccessful attempt to intercept a through ball, the young defender doing a brilliant job to take the ball away from the danger area.

All in all, not a terrific afternoon but hopefully this was just a blip in the progress of the side whose spirit remains undaunted.

Team – Elliott Pride, Johnathan Watt, Marcus Godbold (Danny Crane 49), Robbie Oldham (Liam Bartley 63), Tommy Gardiner (Jody Harrison 37), Toby Gorbould, Adam Sewell, Gareth Palmer, Stewart Roach, Nicky Crawley, Mark Thompson.

Referee - Derren Haynes (Ipswich). Attendance - 56