Mattishall 2, Beccles Town 1Beccles had the luxury of naming an unchanged side for the first time this season and manager Mick Broxup kept faith with the team that came back from a midweek trip to Watton with a well-deserved 3-0 win, with goals from Ant Martin (2) and Nick Day.

Mattishall 2, Beccles Town 1

Beccles had the luxury of naming an unchanged side for the first time this season and manager Mick Broxup kept faith with the team that came back from a midweek trip to Watton with a

well-deserved 3-0 win, with goals from Ant Martin (2) and Nick Day.

However, they were pleased to welcome back Alex Holmes on the bench, following his midweek outing with the Suffolk Youth team.

Mattishall came out of the traps the stronger, using the long ball to Woodrow with good effect. Cable failed to hold on to a long shot and Myhill was forced into a hasty clearance into touch. However, from the subsequent long throw, Duncan Hewitt accepted the far post chance to give the home side a 1-0 lead.

From that point it was all Mattishall who continued to bombard the Beccles defence with the aid of a following wind. Beccles then had a good chance via a free-kick which was blasted over the bar by Woods.

Mattishall struck again using the same formula, a long throw which was back-headed into the net by Simon Woodrow for 2-0. The half ended with continued Mattishall pressure, but Beccles held on.

The second half saw Beccles launch an all-out offensive using Mattishall's tactics of the long ball with the following wind. This tactic paid off when the pressure on the home defence gave Beccles a

free-kick, which was floated into the area by Ricci Wilson and Ant Martin got the finest of deflections to steer the ball into the net.

Beccles introduced Alex Holmes for Andy Woods and continued to press for the equaliser. Martin was causing havoc in the Mattishall defence, which was panicking with every forward ball.

Barham went close from a corner and Jason Clarke was only inches away from connecting after a great flick-on from Martin, who followed this with a ferocious shot that was just wide.

Danny Compton came on to replace Nick Day, who had taken a nasty knock that had severely reduced his mobility. In the 72nd minute Beccles had their best chance when Holmes beat his full-back on the outside and chipped a brilliant cross, right on to the head of Tom Roberts, who headed just wide with the goal at his mercy.

Holmes continued to tease and torment his marker, supplying several good crosses which oncoming forwards just failed to connect with.

Twice, great crosses were fired across the six-yard box, but none of the Beccles forwards was able to get the final connection.

In the end Mattishall were grateful to hear the final whistle, keeping their 2-1 win intact.

Beccles will feel aggrieved to have come away without any share of the spoils from what has always been a notoriously difficult ground for any success.

However, they must now put their disappointment behind them as the Easter weekend sees them with a home game against Dersingham Rovers 2pm kick-off which will be followed by a Reserves game against Easton at 4pm.

Then, on Easter Monday, Town visit Yarmouth Road, Blofield for the postponed semi-final of the Mummery Cup, 11am kick off - with last Saturday's opponents, Mattishall - laying in wait for the final on May 3 (venue to be announced).