A GOAL in each half from Joe Mcfarlane clinched a vital win for Bungay Town in a six-pointer against Mattishall at the Maltings Meadow on Saturday.The Black Dogs and the visitors were in third and fourth place respectively at the start of the day, with Mattishall having a game in hand, but Bungay deserved the victory in another physical encounter which brought them a double over the Norfolk side and took them up to second place.

A GOAL in each half from Joe Mcfarlane clinched a vital win for Bungay Town in a six-pointer against Mattishall at the Maltings Meadow on Saturday.

The Black Dogs and the visitors were in third and fourth place respectively at the start of the day, with Mattishall having a game in hand, but Bungay deserved the victory in another physical encounter which brought them a double over the Norfolk side and took them up to second place.

Generally defences were on top, with Craig Hunting and Lee Henwood again outstanding for Bungay, and they provided the platform for McFarlane, returning to the first team after a spell in the Reserves, to strike two splendid goals.

The visitors made it an anxious last few minutes when they pulled one back in the 84th minutes, but the Black Dogs held on well.

Mattishall had the first chance but Wooden, from a good position, put his header just too high from a corner, and then Nathan Einecker was well placed to take a close range shot when the visitors broke clear down the left.

As Bungay broke quickly Rory French got in a low cross which Tom Amis side-footed towards goal but it was blocked on the line. Almost immediately another good home move saw Amis feed French and the striker's shot on the turn was spectacularly palmed away by the keeper.

From another Mattishall corner Wooden was just off target and soon after Winter put a shot on the turn wide.

But with six minutes to go before half-time Bungay moved ahead as Mark Harvey took a throw in and from it French laid the ball back for McFarlane to strike a great first time shot into the far corner of the net from the edge of the area.

Early in the second half Amis was unlucky with a powerful low 40-yard free kick which the keeper just managed to turn round the post at full stretch. Mattishall created a chance when Clarke weaved his way into the penalty box but Einecker went down to block his close range shot.

But the Black Dogs gave themselves a cushion on 58 minutes as a ball over the visitor's defence saw McFarlane race clear and lob the stranded keeper with a well judged effort.

One Mattishall effort landed on the roof of the Bungay net as they tried to get back into the game, and Wooden should have scored for them soon after, but was thwarted by a fine blocking save from Einecker. But when the resulting corner came over the ball fell to Luke Winter and he turned in the six-yard box to fire home in the 84th minute.

With a minute left Bungay survived a hectic scramble in the six-yard box following a corner, and before the end Bungay looked to have beaten the offside trap as Danny Wilby cut in from the left, but the linesman's flag went up.

Now Bungay face another vital six-pointer tomorrow as they visit third-placed Kirkley and Pakefield Reserves at Walmer Road (2.30) in their bid for promotion to the Anglian Combination premier division.

The Reserves have an important promotion game at Necton, adn the A team entertain Tudor Rose (2.30pm).