Ipswich Town encounter leaves Bildeston Rangers manager full of pride
David ‘Bart’ Lorimer was bursting with pride following his Bildeston Rangers side’s 1-0 defeat to Ipswich Town Under-18s in their historic Suffolk Senior Cup tie on Saturday, writes Alex Moss.
The newly-promoted Suffolk & Ipswich League Senior Division outfit attracted a crowd of more than 200 at Consent Lane for their first-round tie against the Tractor Boys’ young guns.
It was the first time the village club, who lifted the Suffolk Junior Cup at Portman Road in May, had been eligible for the Senior Cup.
Harley Curtis’ volley midway through the game was all that separated the two teams, and Bildeston manager Lorimer was proud of how his side performed on the day.
“I’m more proud than anything,” he said. “I don’t care who we’re playing, if it’s Man United or whoever, I’ll be disappointed if we don’t get through to the next round.
“I’m just really, really proud of what we’ve achieved as a club. Someone counted around 170 adults and there was probably 50 kids that turned up to watch, which is brilliant.
“I walked in the changing room after and to see the boys so frustrated and disappointed that they didn’t get a result; that makes me so proud.
“It was a tough game. They probably had 75 per cent of the possession, but it’s goals that win you games, not possession, and we’ve created a few chances to score.”
After Curtis broke the deadlock for the professional visitors, Bildeston came agonisingly close to an equaliser 12 minutes from time, as Daryl Alexander’s shot was diverted on to the crossbar by Ipswich defender Louie Fehrenbach and then cleared to safety. Ola Bello struck the post for Ipswich five minutes later.
Bildeston now turn their attention back to their Senior Division campaign when they host East Bergholt United on Saturday (2.30pm), and Lorimer believes last weekend’s clash with Ipswich should stand them in good stead for the challenges ahead in the Suffolk & Ipswich League’s top division.
“We’ve made a good start to the league and we’re confident,” he said. “Not taking anything away from East Bergholt, they’re a well-established senior side, but coming off that cup game, we’ve been tested to the limit.”
