Non-league round-up: Thetford Town, Harleston Town and Brantham Athletic progress into FA Vase second round while Bury Town and Felixstowe & Walton United among league victors
Five of the Isuzu FA Vase First Round Proper ties at the weekend involved sides from SuffolkNews’ patch and three of the seven sides from the area keep their dreams of a Wembley appearance alive with victories.
The big winners were Thetford Town who thrashed Suffolk side Cornard United – who also play in the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division alongside them – 6-1 at Mundford Road which mimicked the Brecklanders’ scoreline against Hadleigh United last Tuesday as well as when they hosted Cornard in the league on September 14.
George Diggens kept up his red hot form in front of goal – having scored twice after coming off the bench against Hadleigh in midweek – with a second-half hat-trick (62', 72', 85') which came after goals from Elliot Smith (17'), Callum Olpin (43’) and Dan Gilchrist (45+7’) had put them in a 3-0 lead by the interval. Lewis Soraf (46’) had replied for Cornard within a minute of the second half.
Following the lunchtime draw, Matt Morton’s side will now travel to the capital to face Clapton Community on Saturday, November 9 where a victory would earn them £900 in prize money.
Harleston Town also sealed a comfortable passage through to compound the misery on the Essex Senior League Premier Division’s current basement side, Halstead Town, with a 3-0 win in north Essex.
Ryan Crisp fired Harleston into a 12th minute lead on the Magpies’ first ever visit to the Milbank Stadium and that is how things remained until the final 10 minutes which saw Halstead have to finish the game with 10 men after attacker Asa Cansdale was sent to the sin bin for persistent complaining to the referee, having been warned several times.
Harleston soon took advantage of their numerical advantage with late goals from Rob Turner and Asa McGeachy for the side who sit in 15th place in the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division.
Danny Crowe’s side will now travel to Hertfordshire to face Tring Athletic in the second round proper on November 9.
The only Suffolk side to win in the first round proper stage was Brantham Athletic – 2-0 away to Downham Town thanks a goal in each half, from Adam Wrathall (14’) and Josh Lee (63’).
Featuring in the second round proper for ony the second time in 10 years, Tom Austin’s Imps will host Essex Senior League Premier Division outfit Benfleet on November 9.
But it was penalty shootout heartbreak for Luke Hyam's Woodbridge Town as they lost 6-7 on kicks to exit the competition at The Homestyle UK Ground following a 2-2 draw.
Elsewhere, Hadleigh United exited in a more straightforward manner, losing 2-0 at home to London Lions.
One further Suffolk side will be flying the flag for Suffolk alongside Brantham in the second round, however, with Walsham-le-Willows entering at this stage following a memoraqble run to the last 32 in 2023/24.
The Willows will get this season's campaign in the national competition under way with a home tie with Bedfordshire outfit Potton United on November 9 (3pm).
Meanwhile, there were also a couple of Step 5 and 6 sides involved in county cup action with the following results recorded in the second round of the CNet Training Suffolk Senior Cup:
CNet Training Suffolk Senior Cup Second Round: Beccles Town 0 Bungay Town 1, Brandon Town 2 Henley Athletic 7, Coplestonians 1 Trimley Red Devils 2, Leiston U23s 3 Kirkley & Pakefield Res 2, Mutford & Wrentham 5 Waveney 2, Stowupland Falcons 3 Haughley Utd 4, Sudbury Sports 0 Whitton Utd 3, Tattingstone Utd 1 Halesworth Town 1 – Tattingstone Utd won 5-4 on pens.
Saturday’s league action
A failure to capitalise on their chances put paid to Needham Market’s hope of recorded back-to-back home wins in Vanarama National League North as Kevin Horlock’s side fell to a 3-0 defeat to Phil Brown’s Kidderminster Harriers (now 9th).
Ipswich Town loanee Nico Valentine – who had spoke to SuffolkNews in the run-up to the game – drew a smothered save from Christian Dibble early on while opposite number Marcus Garnham tipped behind a cross to the back post.
The visitors opened the scoring on 33 minutes, as Ashley Hemmings headed home from close range.
Hemmings was involved again at the other end, blocking Ben Hunter’s goal-bound header off the line soon after, before David Davis turned a cut-back into the Needham net on 43 minutes.
Garnham though thwarted the visitors just before the break, flying across to beat away Zak Brown’s effort.
Garnham was again required four minutes after the restart, holding onto a low shot across goal, though Harriers did extend their lead in the 54th minute with Ashley Hemmings netting his second of the game from a low cross.
Dibble was soon in action again, recovering well to smother Adam Mills’ deflected cross just wide for a corner, while up the other end, Amari Morgan-Smith’s close range shot cannoned off the outside of the post.
Needham though had the final chance in the 90th minute, Mills again curled a cross-shot towards the top far corner, which Dibble again tipped wide to leave Horlock’s side drawing a blank.
Consecutive defeats has seen the Marketmen drop into the relegation zone – now third bottom – but they have a quick chance to lift themselves back out when they host Brackley Town (15th) at the Ecologic Stadium Bloomfields tomorrow night (see midweek fixtures for all our sides below).
Down a level in the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central, Leiston (16th) were the only one of the three Suffolk sides to pick up maximum points, winning 2-1 away at Redditch United.
Jamar Loza – who had opened the scoring 10 minutes from the end of the first half only to see the lead wiped out by half-time – proved to be the match winner for Chris Wigger and Darren Eadie’s side, putting them back in front 20 minutes from time.
Lowestoft Town (18th) are one place and one point above the relegation zone after a 1-1 draw now sixth-placed Stratford Town with Kyle Haylock’s early goal was eventually replied to by Callum Ebanks in the 76th minute.
Mid-table AFC Sudbury missed out on the chance to record back-to-back victories as Marc Abbott’s side lost 2-1 at new leaders Kettering Town.
Joe Neal had quickly levelled matters heading into the break after Connor Johnson’s opener, but Luca Miller put the in-form hosts back in front for what proved to be the winner shortly after hour mark.
Bury Town remain top of the Pitching In Isthmian League North Division after Luke Brown’s 26th minute strike coupled with a second clean sheet in their last three matches, sealed a 1-0 win away to Heybridge Swifts to make it four victories on the bounce for Cole Skuse and Paul Musgrove’s side.
The Blues, who are not in action midweek, lead second-placed Tilbury by two points having played a game less.
Felixstowe & Walton United lie sixth in the table with at least a game in hand on all the sides above them after bouncing back from a 2-1 defeat at Tilbury the previous weekend with a 2-1 home win over lower mid-table outfit Walthamstow.
The Seasiders made it 11 wins from 11 home games at the Martello Ground this season thanks to first-half goals from Josh Mayhew (20') and Josh Hitter (29' pen) which sandwiched Tayo Oyebola’s reply (22') in what was a hard-fought victory in front of a crowd of 269.
Both sides went on to create plenty of decent chances in the second half, including the visitors seeing a header come back off the crossbar in the ninth of 12 stoppage-time minutes, mainly due to ‘a melee’ 15 minutes from time that resulted in a red card for Walthamstow’s Hayes Thomas.
Stuart Boardley’s side will be looking to record a third win in four matches to move into the play-off places tomorrow at Jamie Cureton’s Cambridge City (see fixtures below).
Thurlow Nunn League
At Step 5 there were only a handful of fixtures, given most sides were in FA Vase action, but Ely City took advantage, following their early eixt, with a 2-0 home win against Kirkley & Pakefield to move themselves to joint leaders – second on goal difference to Fakenham Town – in the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division.
The Robins’ goals came from Tobiloba Lawal and Alfie Rogers.
Long Melford’s worrying winless run – now at nine games and including four straight defeats for Liam Joyce’s side – continued at home to a Lakenheath outfit who are still without a permanent manager with continuing interim boss Steve Holder celerbating a 2-1 victory at the Skyline Networks Stadium. It had halted a four-game winless run for Heath to leave them 16th in the table.
Soham Town Rangers’ players sent out departing boss Alex Cross – whose exit was officially announced on Saturday evening – on a winning note following a 4-3 success at home to Heacham to leave the Greens 12th in the table.
In the Thurlow Nunn League First Division North, there was not far off a full programme with eight fixtures taking place involving six of SuffolkNews’ sides.
Haverhill Rovers – who included a new signing on the bench in former Newmarket Town skipper James Seymour – maintained their unbeaten start to the campaign (now 14 games including 12 wins) and their two point advantage at the summit over Stanway Pegasus having played a game less than the second-placed side with a 3-0 home win against mid-table FC Parson Drove.
Adden Tokley put Ben Cowling’s side into an early lead before Josh Evans and skipper Shaun Avis both added to Rovers’ tally midway through the second half for a comfortable afternoon at The New Croft.
Neighbours Haverhill Borough, who had pushed them all the way in a 2-1 defeat in the Haverhill derby the previous Friday, were on the end of a 4-1 defeat at FC Peterborough while AFC Sudbury Reserves – 6-2 at Gorleston Reserves – and Needham Market Reserves – 6-0 at Holland FC – and promotion-hunting Diss Town – 5-0 at basement side Whittlesey Athletic – also suffered heavy away defeats.
Elsewhere in the division, a Max Willett goal saw Framlingham Town register a key 1-0 home victory against third-placed Harwich & Parkeston in what was a first win in four matches for Liam Abraham's side to leave them seventh in the table.
Tuesday’s fixtures (7.45pm unless stated)
Vanarama National League North
Needham Market vs Brackley Town
Pitching In Southern League Premier Central
Hitchin Town vs Lowestoft Town
Spalding United vs Leiston
Pitching In Isthmian League North Division
Cambridge City vs Felixstowe & Walton United
Newmarket Town vs Grays Athletic
Witham Town vs Mildenhall Town
Thurlow Nunn League Challenge Cup (Third Round)
Brantham Athletic vs Long Melford
Hadleigh United vs Cornard United
Stowmarket Town vs Whitton United
Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division
Harleston Town vs Walsham-le-Willows
Thurlow Nunn League First Division North
AFC Sudbury Reserves vs Haverhill Borough
Harwich & Parkeston vs Haverhill Rovers
• As a reader, we know the value you place on trusted local journalism. At SuffolkNews we are committed to delivering the very best coverage from communities right across the county, and we can only do this with the support of our readers. By becoming a subscriber you not only support us in this mission, you also unlock a whole host of benefits, including unlimited access to our ad-lite SuffolkNews website and digital editions of all our weekly newspapers. You can find out more about subscriptions here.
Use the promo code russellclaydon to get an annual subscription for less than £25 (54% off) - we really appreciate your support. Thank you.
