Dereham and Fakenham scene

FAKENHAM U18 entertained Watton Juniors in the Ridgeons Youth League and ran out comfortable 5-2 winners. The first half was very scrappy with many passes going astray and players continually making wrong decisions. Two goals from Savory and Betts were cancelled out by Watton, one on the stroke of

half-time. Fakenham kicked off the second half with far more purpose and soon regained the lead through a stunning goal from Berry. The young Ghosts played with far more tempo and deservedly scored two further goals from Penty and a Biles penalty on his debut. An excellent three points but the performance levels from many individuals will need to improve if they have aspirations to become regular first team players. Team: Elliot, Alamanos, Broughton, Felton, Savory, Skinner, McCarthy (Bird), Penty (Biles), Betts (Mcilveen), Drewery, Berry. Unused subs: Harris, Schoenmakers. Next match tonight (Thursday, February 18) against March Town at Clipbush Park.

DEREHAM WANDERERS STAGS U10 lost 8-6 to Weeting and 12-7 on aggregate in the second leg of their cup quarter-final. They were soon 2-0 down before Logan burst out of defence and fired home a long shot. Chris crossed first time for Callum to rifle home for 2-2. In end-to-end play Alice made a wonder save before Weeting to grabbed a third goal for 3-2. Dereham equalised when Regan chested down a corner and scored well. Regan had a great effort superbly saved. From a quick break Chris out wide switched the ball to Logan who cracked it home to put Dereham 4-3 up. Weeting made it 4-4 soon after with a good header froma a corner. Callum had a shot on the turn well saved and Regan got his second with a fantastic strike from a tight angle 5-4 (6-8 on aggregate). Dereham got ahead again when Logan completed his hat-trick with a beautiful long-range shot over the keeper for 6-5. Josh sliced the ball into his own net to make it 6-6. Dereham started to tire and Weeting got two more late goals. Dereham who did not deserve to lose but went out of the cup with their heads held high after a massive effort. Goals: Logan (3), Regan (2), Callum. Player of the match: Alice. Manager's player of the match: Logan.

DEREHAM WANDERERS U13 travelled Mulbarton. Even having to play the first five minutes in almost blizzard conditions, Dereham played some great football. Their early domination was rewarded when Merrick found the net with a terrific shot from the edge of the area. Paige added a second following a mix-up in the Mulbarton defence. Merrick was controlling midfield and soon got her second goal with another great strike. Mulbarton put the Dereham defence under some pressure but Sarah and in particular Becka defended extremely well. For Dereham's fourth goal Becka thwarted a Mulbarton attack, knowing it would hurt. She played a nice pass down the line to Lanti who rounded a couple of defenders to score with a clinical finish. Beaadded a fifth before half-time, with another well-taken goal. The second half saw the return of Chelsea after injury who picked up the ball just inside the Mulbarton half, outpaced the defender and fired low across the keeper and in off the far post. Soon Bea and Lanti were both celebrating their second goals. Bea completed her hat-trick before Paige continued her scoring run. Bea, grabbed her fourth and Dereham's 11th. Manager's player-of-the-week: Becka.

DEREHAM WANDERERS U11 dominated much of their game against Firside Foxes, winning 5-1. They soon went into the lead with Laura scoring from a tight angle. Leah saw her shot come off from the post before Laura added a second from long range. The visitors were forced to change goalkeepers because of injury and despite heavy pressure from the home side, only conceded once more before the break as Laura completed her hat-trick. Dereham had played well with several good passing moves and Saskia, Charlotte and Hollie combined well in defence and midfield with Jess having few saves to make. Jasmin came on for Hollie.

Soon after the re-start Leah had a shot tipped over the bar and then put Alice through to score with a good pass. Firside scored a very well-taken goal midway through the half but soon after Alice made the score 5-1. Dereham squad: Jess, Jasmin, Saskia, Hollie, Charlotte, Leah, Laura and Alice. Goals: Laura (3), Alice (2). Players of the match: Alice and Charlotte.

DEREHAM WANDERERS BLUES U10 entertained Morley in a top-of-the-table clash. The game was played in a very sporting manner and towards the end was extremely nail-biting. Morley began the stronger team and deservedly took the lead. Dereham fought back well and equalised when the ball deflected off a Morley player into the net. Both teams had opportunities to add to the score sheet but for 20 minutes the score remained level. Morley began to apply pressure on the Wanderers' defence which paid off when, from a corner, they went ahead. As the game was nearing its end Dereham again equalised with a superb strike from just outside the box. Both teams had chances to win the game but it was felt by all that a draw was a fair result. Final score: Dereham Wanderers Blue 2, Morley 2. Manager's man-of-the-match: Jordan. Morley manager's man-of-the-match: Josh B.

DEREHAM WANDERERS U12 GIRLS played hosts to Thorpe and went down 3-0. Thorpe attacked from the start, making long throws into the box. Ella and Chelsea did their job in defence and Drew made a couple of good saves. Thorpe's pressure finally paid off with a goal. Dereham had a few chances with Rochy, Millie, Erren, Hannah and Anna all having a go, but Thorpe were so tall that Dereham just couldn't get through. Rochy went on a good run and was brought down in the box, the penalty saved by the keeper. Thorpe went on the attack and doubled the lead. Ella was in goal for the second half and pulled off a couple of good saves although they finally slipped one by her. Dereham upped their game. Mary nearly pulled one back for Dereham but it went just wide. Rochy, Anna and Hannah also had chances but to no avail. Dereham are going to have a shake-up next week! GoM: Anna for keeping up with her tall marker.

DEREHAM TOWN U12 played Hellesdon at Aldiss Park on Sunday and were almost caught out as a shot went just over in the first move of the game. After five minutes, however, they took the lead when Boycey took a long ball and shot across the keeper. Two more goals followed shortly after. Ryan fed Max who slotted a perfect ball through for Lewis to score then Jordi and Ryan combined to set up Max for a thunderbolt into the roof of the net. With the half almost over, a Lewis free-kick was superbly headed in by Ryan from 10 yards. A great run and cross shot from Rio was well saved as the half ended 4-0. Hellesdon pushed forward at the restart and Joe, Mateo and Zak were made to work hard. Fitty, in goal, was calm and never looked like being beaten. A fine passing move down the left between Cally, Billy and Boycey ended with a cross to Jared at the far post who tapped the ball back for Wattsy to turn in. A minute later, Jordi's cross was flicked on by Jared, again to Wattsy, who volleyed into the top corner. There was still time for chances for Rio, who beat five tackles before his shot went for a corner, and Jared who couldn't turn in Billy's cross at full stretch. Final score: Dereham 6, Hellesdon 0.

DEREHAM TOWN U14 played Lakeford Rangers U14. After 10 minutes Mason found Upton on the wide right and his cut-back was met at the near post by Williams who just failed to steer his shot inside the post. Lakeford responded with a break of their own, and a fine cross was met at the back post by Catchpole who saw his shot slide just wide with the goal gaping. Williams prodded a dangerous ball into the box, where Upton touched it under the keeper and into the net to put Dereham ahead. Dereham continued to press and another good cross, from Allen, was controlled by Mason who found Williams with time and space to control the ball before side-footing home Dereham's second. Dereham's first chance of the second half came from Allen's corner. Churchyard stretched to make contact but lifted the ball just over the bar. Lakeford came forward again and from their corner Catchpole failed to make a good contact eight yards out and Dereham cleared. With two minutes remaining Upton beat two defenders before appearing to be brought down in the area, but the referee waved play on. Full-time: Lakeford Rangers 0, Dereham Town 2. Man-of-the-match: Ash Churchyard.

DEREHAM WANDERERS STAGS travelled to Watton in the league to play a very strong side but started the game well on top with lots of possession and had all the early pressure. Watton were awarded a controversial opening goal after Alice had made a good save and the Watton player appeared to kick the ball out of her hands. Dereham continue to battle well but Watton started to get into their stride with great passing football and when they won a corner the ball was deflected into his own net by Chris for 2-0 to Watton. Dereham were chasing the ball all over the pitch as Watton continued to play a neat passing game. Watton made it 3-0 when a low cross was miss-hit by the Watton attacker and the ball looped over Alice into the far corner. The score was really tough on Dereham. Into the third quarter Dereham were starting to look really tired but continued to look for a goal. Watton were now well on top and a through ball was well finished to make it 4-0. Dereham tried hard to get back into the game but two more goals for Watton saw the score at 6-0. Things were better in the last quarter and the game looked quite even. Dereham deserved to get a goal but it was not to be. Watton hit a long ball upfield and their little terrier striker lifted the ball over the advancing Alice to make it 7-0. One more scrambled goal before the match was over saw the game finish 8-0 to Watton. Player-of-the-match: Alice. Manager's PoM: Josh.

DEREHAM WANDERERS U12 STRIPES are looking for new players to join their team for the current season. You must be in Year Six or Seven at school. We train on a Wednesday night from 6.30 to 8pm at Northgate High School. Please contact Kelvin on 07709 975920 or Bruce on 07748 495944.

FAKENHAM GHOSTS U10 travelled to play Flitcham and Hillington hoping to build on their promising performance of the previous week. The game started quite scrappily with neither team dominating but Fakenham always looked the most likely to score with Ben in lively form up front. Kai and Travis again were defending well and when they started to get their challenges in higher up the field they helped the midfield trio of Dan, Matty and Jack get control of the game. Half-time 0-0. The Ghosts maintained their energy levels in the second half and were rewarded with the opening goal when Ben was alert to tuck away a half-chance after Dan's shot was blocked. Kai had to leave the field ill but the rest of the guys dug in deep and Travis ensured the hosts' chances were limited. The only time they did break through, Jamie made a smart save to his left. The win was sealed with a similar goal to the first, scored when Ben pounced again on a loose ball to make the final score 2-0 to earn a long overdue win. Man of the match Travis for being alert and dealing with any danger. Team: Jamie, Travis, Kai, Daniel, Jack, Matthew and Ben.

FAKENHAM U9 played Norwich United on Sunday in the quarter-finals of the cup and put in a great performance to win 8-0. Fakenham started well from the whistle with three passes finishing with a great goal slammed in by Josh Whittaker. Josh put in a performance worthy of the Academy throughout, scoring five goals. Elliot Hull was a tower of strength at the back, partnered by Ethan Barley. Ethan showed great composure playing the ball down the line to set up several attacks. Brandon Futter covered the pitch throughout and was the strength of the team in the middle. Fakenham's captain Jack Smith moved around the pitch well and his first touches created several chances as well the goal Smithy pounded in from outside the box. Cameron Webster proved very troublesome for Norwich and soared through the middle and nearly broke the net. A bad tackle on him gave Fakenham a penalty which Brandon smashed it into the top corner. Reggie kept a clean sheet with three good saves - he has kept clean sheets through the cup tournament. George Lockey put in a brave performance for his cup debut and did everything asked of him, nearly adding to the scoreline. Norwich United put in a good effort but were beaten by a top-form Fakenham side. Team: Captain Jack Smith, Josh Whitaker, Brandon Futter, George Lockey, Ethan Barley, Reggie Bloomfield, Elliot Hull.

LITCHAM U12 welcomed Dereham Wanderers Blues and took the lead after Alby burst onto a through ball to take it round the advancing Jordan to make it 1-0. Although Litcham pressed for their second, Blues defended well and broke to create chances with only the final ball lacking. Nathan and Jake worked hard in midfield linking up with Kai on the left wing to open the Blues' rearguard, making the keeper and defenders clear off the line on more than one occasion. Litcham scored through Alby netting a second, Aaron, Kai and Matthew with his first goal in the league to make the final score 5-0. A solid team performance with the team managing to keep their seventh clean sheet of the season. Squad: Kyle, Bradley, James, Ben, Harry, Nathan, Jake, Matthew, Gary, Aaron, Alby, Kai.

MATTISHALL U11 hosted Terrington in the Mid-Norfolk League Cup. The first 10 minutes saw end to end play with Mattishall having the majority of possession. Jasper was just wide from a corner. A great ball over the defence from Zack put Jasper into a one on one with the Terrington keeper and he scored a fine goal. Two further attempts were saved well. The second goal came from a shot by Jack, followed by a further goal from Jack a few minutes later. A superb cross by Zack was met well by Jasper's header at the far post. Terrington broke through the strong defence of Bryn, Tom, Zack and Bradley but couldn't score past Sam who produced some great goal keeping. A fifth goal came from Zack followed by a goal line scramble resulting in a goal for Bryn. A great run down the left from Terrington was defended well by Bradley running half of the pitch. The final goal of the first half came from a header by Bryn, and the scoreline was 7-0 at half-time. The second half and Sam came out of goal, replaced by Tom. Mattishall again dominated. Zack scored No 8 and the post stopped a hat-trick. Terrington couldn't break out of their half and three more goals came from Jasper, Bryn and then Zack completed a deserved hat-trick, making the score 11-0. Some fine passing moves allowed Jack to score two more, and Zack. Terrington got a deserved goal with a flick over the keeper from just outside of the box making the score 14-1. A further attack from Terrington created a fine save by Tom, pushing the ball onto a post. The final goal for Mattishall came from Jasper and Mattishall had won 15-1, an incredible result and fantastic play from all of the team.

DEREHAM U10 visited second in the league Taverham. The lads were quickly one up with a great goal from Daniel that went straight in from his corner. Dereham kept it tight and played the ball around with confidence, being the more creative and threatening. Both defences were on top form and clear-cut chances were few. In second half Dereham pressured from the off and began to open up Taverham's defence with Kyle netting Dereham's second within a couple of minutes. The lads did a great job cutting down space and controlled the game well with some neat passing. Dereham had several good chances to increase their lead. In the last minute they conceded an own goal and with seconds to go Taverham hit a post. Result: Dereham 2, Taverham 1. Team: Findlay, Josh, Jake, Marcus, Kyle, Mason , Daniel, Harry, Czarek and Will. MoM: Daniel.

DEREHAM TOWN U11 visited Thorpe.They started well, keeping good possession and playing some good one-two football. Luke had a shot early on and Dereham had much of the first half. Connor put in a superb cross which was headed into the back of the net for an own goal. Dereham grew in confidence. In the second half Charlie had a good shot which hit the bar and eventually a Dereham corner was scrambled off the line which Kuda followed up to make it 2-0. The play was pretty much all one-sided then with Thorpe having little chance to score past the strong Dereham defence. Ryan pressured the Thorpe defence into a mistake which led to an easy tap-in by him to make it 3-0. Another fantastic corner from Connor saw Joe hit the bar and the ball was then easily knocked in by Jamie. A good away win and clean sheet for Ollie. Dereham 4 Thorpe 0.

MoM: Joe.

WELLS U10 lost 7-0 to Dersingham. Wells were put under pressure from the start and struggled to keep shape and mark players who were a threat, resulting in an early lead by Dersingham. Wells started to hold their own, but the continuing Dersingham pressure proved too much and the young Seasiders went in at half-time 3-0 down. Wells started well in the second half, with an excellent save from Kailem, but Dersingham kept pushing and were much stronger and more organised than Wells, who had chances but failed to capitalise. Man of the match: George Lear. Team: Jack, Kailem, Harry, Scott, Mark, George, James B, James P, Bailey and Conor.