Bungay celebrate Non-League Day with 13-goal feast

A good crowd watched Bungay put 13 goals past Hempnall. Photo: Nick Butcher. (Image: ©archant2015)

Bungay ran up the second highest score in their 90-year history against luckless neighbours Hempnall on Saturday — and so celebrated Non-League Day in style.

It is their biggest score for 65 years, equalling the 13-0 win over Electricity in the Norfolk and Suffolk League on February 7, 1948, and bettered only by the 15-0 victory against Halesworth 87 years ago, on May 4, 1928.

Against Electricity they scored 10 in one half and on Saturday they managed nine in the second half as they gave their goal difference a shot in the arm and maintained third place in the Anglian Combination Division One table.

The visitors, a shadow of the side which almost won promotion to the Premier Division last season, never gave up, but the game was one-way traffic almost from start to finish as Paul Bliss hit four, Dom Mirner three, and six other players in all on the scoresheet.

The pattern was set from the third minute as Mirner crossed low from the right for Fionn Goodwin-Wright to side-foot home first time from inside the six-yard box. Two minutes later Kevin Riches surged into the box and when his shot was blocked Bliss banged home the loose ball.

On 23 minutes Sam Olley’s pull-back gave Mirner plenty of time to pick his spot. Hempnall put a rare chance over the bar from a free-kick, and after Bliss had hit a post, the fourth came in the 41st minute as a cross-field move led to Olley scoring from two yards.

It was 6-0 within four minutes of the second-half restart. First another slick move down the right involving Olley, Goodwin-Wright and Kevin Riches ended with Bliss side-footing Riches’ low cross home, and then Goodwin-Wright got his second after good build-up from Bliss and Riches.

Manager Tim Clarke threw on all three subs – John Riches, Ryan McFadden and Danny Wilby – to give them good game time, and the goals continued to flow. Mirner made it 7-0 with a good shot on the turn following good work by J Riches, and on 60 minutes K Riches thumped a trademark header home from J Riches’ corner.

Three minutes later Bliss completed his hat-trick, and Wilby took the score into double figures on 65 minutes with a spectacular scissors kick into the top corner.

Bliss got his fourth as he moved on to a long-range ball out of defence to beat the keeper. Mirner then completed his hat-trick after K Riches had won the ball to divert it into his path to make it a round dozen.

To their credit Hempnall never gave up and went close with a header which was just off target. But Wilby completed the rout with an impressive strike from the edge of the area after a lay-back from Bliss.

Tomorrow’s Suffolk Senior Cup tie against Grundisburgh at the Maltings Meadow will be a different ball game!

Bungay Town: Howes, Olley, Hunting, Whiteman (McFadden), Campbell, Riches, McFarlane (Wilby), Houghton, Mirner, Bliss, Goodwin-Wright (J Riches).