Dan hits five to seal Bungay victory

Bungay Town 6, Watton 2

AT last! The Black Dogs signed off a nightmare season with an emphatic and well-deserved thrashing of Watton at the Maltings Meadow on Saturday, providing a ray of hope for the future.

Striker Dan Andrews led the way as he bagged five goals with some lethal finishing — the first time a Bungay player had hit five in a game since Kevin Talbot his six against Crusaders in September, 2004 in the Suffolk Junior Cup.

And it was the first hat-trick by a Bungay player since Scott Daniels scored three against Yarmouth Reserves in 2006.

In fact Andrews, who took his tally to 15 for the season, could have had six or seven himself as Bungay ran the Watton defence ragged — the keeper twice denied him when he was through and he also struck the bar.

It was a day of firsts for other reasons — the Black Dogs first win to end a run of 15 successive defeats, the first time they had scored more than three in a game this season, and the first time they had hit six in a game since beating Mundford 7-1 four years ago.

And all this against a side who the previous week has beaten division champions Wells 2-1 at home. On the day it was difficult to see how Bungay had finished three points adrift at the bottom of the table.

It means the Black Dogs’ two league wins came in their first and last home games — and it was the first points they had taken since drawing 2-2 at Watton on November 20.

Great reward for the efforts of the young team — eight teenagers in Saturday’s squad — and manager Kevin Gook, who has endured a frustrating first season in charge and, though much too late, a lift to end the season.

Bungay will play in Division Two of the Anglian Combination next season, and Gook is aware that the team will need to be strengthened to make a quick return to senior football.

Watton took an early lead as Sam Fincham bundled the ball home following a left-wing cross.

Andrews got his first as he took Matt Lowe’s forward ball to score from a narrow angle.

Craig Sartain, in his first start for the team, fired in a shot which took a deflection to loop over the stranded keeper. Dan Lowe found Andrews with a good ball and he controlled it well to beat the keeper and got his third as Whiteman crossed and he prodded in.

Watton pulled one back but Bungay made it 5-2 as Tom Cole, who had an impressive game in midfield, found Andrews to roll it past the keeper. He got his sixth in the last minute, beating the keeper with ease after being put clear. The keeper then made a fine save from a first-time volley from Andrews.