Beccles 1 Sheringham 3

Saturday saw a fiercely-contested clash between Beccles and Sheringham in front of a large crowd at College Meadow.

Beccles were able to recall Pluck, Fisk and Mutimer to the squad.

Sheringham were seemingly the better side in the first 25 minutes and their good passing approach troubled Beccles. Within the first 25 minutes the visitors peppered the Beccles goal and it was Cable who single-handedly keep the score 0-0 with four stunning saves.

On 30 minutes, Beccles were forced into a change when Barnard sustained a hamstring injury and was replaced by Pluck. This made an instant impact as Beccles took the lead. Pluck picked up the ball on the left and crossed for Clarke to nip in and finish into the bottom corner.

The game at that point was very even with both teams attacking one after another, but a mixture of good goalkeeping and poor finishing kept the score at 1-0 at the interval.

The second half started the same as the first half finished with both teams going at each other to get the next goal.

Joe Clark took on his marker and curled a shot over and then from a corner the ball fell kindly for Clarke but his volley also flew over.

On 65 minutes Cable produced another incredible save to deny a Sheringham striker one-on-one.

Up until the 75th minute Beccles looked very comfortable, but then Fisk was forced off with injury which forced a reshuffle.

Moments later Sheringham grabbed an equaliser. A Sheringham winger progressed down the right before crossing to the back post for a substitute to head home.

It didn’t take long for Sheringham to extend their lead. A Beccles attack broke down and the visitors countered quickly and fired a shot low past Cable.

As Beccles pushed the an equaliser Sheringham killed off the game with a third goal.

From a long keeper’s kick, a forward was given the freedom of the pitch to run through, round Cable and slip the ball into an empty net.

It was a very disappointing result for Town, their first defeat of the season. It must be quickly forgotten and gaining all three points in the next match is vital.

Team: Cable, Pierce, Fisk, Shade, Booker, Milton, Udell, Bailey, Barnard, Clarke, Clark. Subs: Remblance, Pluck, Mutimer.

Bungay Town 0 Grundisburgh 5

It is 16 years since Bungay won a Suffolk Senior Cup game, and that wait goes on for another season after Grundisburgh won a clear-cut victory at the Maltings Meadow on Saturday in the first round of this year’s competition.

The Black Dogs got off to a dreadful start, finding themselves 2-0 down in 17 minutes and they never really recovered.

It was only in the final stages of the game that they caused serious threat to the visitors’ goal, and though the final scored slightly flattered Grundisburgh, there was no doubting who were the better side on the day.

Bungay were without Shaun Whiteman, likely to be missing for six weeks with shin splints, and last week’s four-goal hero Paul Bliss started alongside Craig Hunting at the heart of the defence. But it was breached after only two minutes as Mo Fike found space in the box to head home from a corner.

The closest Bungay came in the first half was a Hunting free-kick which just missed the far post with no one able to get a touch, and Grundisburgh went 2-0 up in the 17th minute as Steve Morris tucked away a simple chance from a low cross from the right.

And Morris got his second before half-time. Joe Shaw, in for the unavailable Rob Howes, did well to turn over a dangerous free-kick, but from the corner hesitant defending saw the striker nick the ball home at the far post.

Bungay needed a quick response in the second half and it nearly came in the opening minute at the end of their best move of the game, ending with Bliss, pushed up front, seeing his shot at the far post from Dom Mirner’s cross blocked by a defender.

Kevin Riches put a header wide, but any hopes of a comeback were extinguished in the 53rd minute as Fike rifled in a low drive from the edge of the area.

Mirner finally brought a save from the visiting keeper with a low drive that he managed to turn away for a corner at full-stretch, and then he thwarted Fionn Goodwin-Wright when he broke through, turning his effort away for a corner.

Riches put Bungay’s best chance over the bar from a good pull-back by Goodwin-Wright, and Bliss saw the ball smothered at his feet as he went to shoot as Bungay found a bit of form.

But the visitors completed the nap hand in the last minute as Ben Prime scored with a far post header from a long cross.

Team: Shaw, Olley, Hunting (J Mirner), Bliss, Campbell (Burgess), D Mirner, Riches, Mcfarlane (McFadden), Houghton, Lowe, Goodwin-Wright.

Tomorrow Bungay visit Waveney, leaders of the Anglian Combination Division One, in a league game.