Poringland Wanderers 4, Bungay Town 2TWO late goals were not enough to bring the Black Dogs any reward as they were beaten by Anglian Combination Division One leaders Poringland on Saturday.

Poringland Wanderers 4, Bungay Town 2

TWO late goals were not enough to bring the Black Dogs any reward as they were beaten by Anglian Combination Division One leaders Poringland on Saturday.

On the traditionally poor pitch Bungay had a good share of the play, but the home attack was more incisive and regularly stretched the defence.

They weathered the early Poringland attacks, and when they broke Ainsley Baynes found Paul Bullen, but his shot under challenge was well wide.

Long had to move quickly to turn a glancing header around the post, but from the corner Bungay could not clear their lines and the ball was knocked in the 12th minute to put the home side ahead. Soon after Bullen cleared a home effort off the line.

Shane Ward got clear for Bungay but shot well over, and in another attack Baynes had a deflected shot taken by the keeper. Just before the interval Poringland should have got a second following a fast break down the left, but two forwards missed the chance to tap the ball in from close range.

At the start of the second half Bungay almost equalised as Bullen set up Ward, who dinked the ball round the keeper only to see the effort cleared by a defender, with Baynes' follow-up effort being blocked. Then Ward had a low drive hacked clear by the defence as Bungay put Poringland under some pressure.

A good cross from Shaun Whiteman forced another corner, but Poringland broke quickly from it and a forward raced clear down the right to drill a shot into the far corner.

That came against the run of play, and as Bungay fought back Paul Hunter saw a free-kick narrowly clear the bar, before the same player tested the keeper with a volley. But again Poringland used their width to break quickly down the right to make it 3-0 with a goal almost identical to the first.

With six minutes left Bungay pulled one back as Tom Kenny crossed low into the box and Baynes moved in to beat the keeper from close range.

Two minutes alter it was 3-2 as Hunter found Ward, and he scored with a well-placed shot from 10 yards.

Any hope Bungay had of snatching a dramatic point was extinguished as they were caught on the break as they pushed forward. Long, well out of his area, completely missed his kick on the bobbly pitch and a forward gratefully accepted the chance to run the ball into an unguarded goal.

Team: R Long, M Shipley (T Kenny), C Hunting, S Batt (S Payne), S Whiteman, B Davies (M Clarke), P Hunter, N Renaut, P Bullen, S Ward, A Baynes.

Tomorrow, sixth-bottom Bungay entertain third-placed Kirkley & Pakefield Reserves (2pm).