Thetford and Watton club notes

BRANDON LADS U9 played Mundford and the first quarter of the match was evenly balanced with some excellent passing football from both sides. Mundford were unlucky not to score early on but their shot went just wide. Brandon looked dangerous on the break with Jake Vincent and Cameron Francis up front. Stephen Clarke was holding up the midfield with Ben Long and Callam Horn in defence. Jake Vincent pounced on a loose ball and slotted it home. Mundford quickly levelled things with an excellently-taken goal from a corner. Brandon then started to apply some pressure and Jake Vincent side-footed his second goal. Alex Matthews came on for Cameron Francis and made an immediate impact, tackling back well and running down the left touchline, causing the Mundford defence no end of problems. In the last 15 minutes the play was end to end with Will Bales making a superb one-on-one save before Cameron Francis (on for Stephen Clarke) broke through the defence to slot the ball home and make it 3-1 to Brandon. Mundford were excellent and never gave up - one of the best football teams Brandon have seen in the U9 league. Brandon scorers: Jake Vincent (2), Cameron Francis. MoM: Jake Vincent.

BRANDON LADS U12 played Dereham Stripes U10 and their unbeaten start to the season came to a halt when they somehow conceded four goals in the last 10 minutes. This game had 0-0 written all over it with both teams cancelling each other out in the final third of the pitch. Dereham did have the clearer of the goal chances but Patrick Scott dealt well with everything that came his way. Bobby Smith went closest to scoring for Brandon when his speculative cross/shot was pushed up onto the bar twice by the Dereham keeper. As the game entered its final stages Brandon gave away four very sloppy goals, three by bad defending mistakes and the fourth by way of a penalty. The final scoreline flattered Dereham, but the lads must now push on and put this game behind them.

BRANDON LADS U13 started well in their local derby against a strong Thetford team but it wasn't long before the hard-working Jordan Kemp got his reward with a tap-in, Brandon were straight back on the attack and never let Thetford into the game. Harry Rampley played a ball over the top of the Thetford defence and again Kemp never gave up and was rewarded with his second goal from a tight angle. Thetford then hit back scoring two goals but Brandon had a 'never give in' attitude about them and soon got their third goal a great through ball from Jake Bogle to leave in-form Lewis Norton to score with a great strike but Thetford drew level before the break. The second half saw a lot of fast, hard- tackling football from both sides. Brandon then lost the very impressive Norton with an injury. Thetford went on to score four more goals. Brandon still didn't give up and another great ball into the box by Rampley, this time from the corner, saw Sam Chappell bravely head the ball home. Thetford then went on to score again to make the final result 8-4 to Thetford. Even in defeat Brandon can be proud of the game they played, they controlled for long spells it was still a good team performance from every player in the squad. MoM: Lewis Stevenson.

BRANDON LADS U16 beat hosts CFC Bury 2-1. Brandon made a good start to the game which saw them go close with Jordan Shaw in the first minute. Brandon settled down and began to play well. Chances came at both ends but Brandon finally broke the deadlock with a fine, powerful header for Preston Sharpe to make the score 1-0. CFC Bury got back into the game with a through ball and a shot that Jack Tate saved but their striker followed up to make 1-1 at half-time. Second half saw both teams making changes and both sides having good chances but Brandon took the lead again, a throw-in found Jordan Hewitt's head and his flick-on was tucked away by Jordan Shaw. CFC pushed forward looking for a leveller but the defence and midfield for Brandon kept working together.

BRANDON LASSES U12 got a good away win at Sizewell and Knodishall playing some very good passing football. The Lasses opened the scoring through Georgia O'Malley with a good finish from outside of the box and she added a second. Elesse Masters made it 3-0 with another good finish. Elesse then scored her second two minutes into the second half and the Lasses then really took control of the game with lovely flowing football Georgia completed a well-deserved hat-trick, Chloe Slater rounded off a very good performance scoring with a well-struck shot and after hitting a post twice Amy Skipp scored her first Lasses league goal. This was followed by an own goal. Katie Meeson, in the Brandon goal, was rarely threatened with a solid performance at the back from Lucy Page and Bethany Field. Chloe Killingworth and Gianna Bly both played their part.

BRANDON LASSES U15 put in a great performance in hot conditions. With only a small squad, Brandon took on last season's champions knowing they were up against it, but stuck to their task. Two goals midway through the first half gave Waveney the edge. The second half started with an early visitors' goal, but Lasses staged a fightback and Frankie Torrence netted a brace in four minutes. Just when it looked like a unlikely draw, Waveney scored on the break, closely followed by a fifth to give the scoreline an unfair look. Brandon never stopped working, particularly the improving Mariah Moules who was PoM.

BRANDON LADS AND LASSES are holding a bingo evening on Friday at the Brandon Leisure Centre. Doors open at 6.30pm and games will start at 7pm.

BULLDOGS U9 travelled to a much-improved Garboldisham. Pedro and Luke were playing excellently but it took until the end of the quarter for a long throw from Luke for Rhys to poke in. John made a great save from a free-kick and the Garboldisham keeper made an amazing triple save to deny Rhys twice and Daniel. Bulldogs went two up when Pedro surged down the wing and drove in. Bulldogs tripled their lead when the superb Pedro broke quickly, and when one-on-one produced great vision to play in Daniel to net. Bulldogs got a fourth when Daniel turned a rebound in. Although John made some good saves Garboldisham got a goal. Bulldogs then woke up and a good ball by Daniel played in Rhys who finished for 5-1. Bulldogs brought on Luke, Kieran and Jayden for Joseph, Daniel and Josh for the end. Bulldogs got a sixth as persistence by Luke saw him finish at the third effort. Daniel then finished well on a counter attack for 7-1. The impressive Pedro played in Rhys for the eighth and final goal. MoM: Daniel.

BULLDOGS U12 hosted Litcham and started well but not breaking through, then Joseph made some good saves. Both Alfie and Daniel had chances and a David header was denied. Then Joseph saved a free-kick but it was bundled in for 1-0. Litcham scored early in the second half Arran and Tommy were good in defence and Milo's cross was headed in by Daniel. But Litcham scored three more for a inal score of 5-1. MoM: Daniel Stevens.

THETFORD BULLDOGS U12 hosted Dereham Blue in the first game of the season and dominated the early proceedings. Andre Marco had an early chance which was saved, but a good ball by Andre sent Daniel Stevens through, who finished for 1-0. Joseph Burke pulled off some some good saves before Alfie Small provided a good ball for Daniel to score his second goal. Half-time score 2-0. Dereham got an early goal in the second half for 2-1 and then scored again to level the match. The game was anybody's but, after a good move, Daniel completed his hat-trick to make the final score 3-2. MoM: Daniel Stevens.

THETFORD BULLDOGS U10 B played a well-contested friendly on Sunday against Attleborough B. Making his first appearance for Bulldogs, Lyle made a confident start in goal with some excellent saves. The back three of Robbie Neal, Lewis Nicol and Jacob Chamberlain all played well with some excellent tackles, making for a tight game, with Oliver Remmington and Marcus in midfield supporting Alex Vasey up front. Bulldogs went close on a number of occasions. All their hard work, however, was undone when a deflected shot found the back of the net. Over the next two quarters both teams made several chances but none of them made it into the goal. Subs Jibril Onanuga, Samarily Howard and Ryan Hinsley were all brought on to push for an equaliser but, for all their efforts, a goal remained elusive. The game was still 1-0 when the referee signalled one minute left and Attleborough scored twice more. If goals were rewarded on effort alone then Bulldogs certainly deserved one. Well played everyone.

LAKENHEATH LEOPARDS started this home game against a determined Wymondham looking for their first win of the season. There was early pressure from Lakenheath but Wymondham took the lead after some good passing. Lakenheath equalised with a fine goal from Kieron Danbrowsky. Wymondham took the lead again but Lakenheath equalised through Jamie Allsop. The next goal was from Kieron Danbrowsky, who deflected a shot from Connor Knight into the top corner. The second half was a close as the second with Lakenheath going ahead for the first time through Ben Nolan. Wymondham came back but then Lakenheath opened the gap with further goals from Ben Nolan and Jamie Allsop. Ben Nolan finished off with a

hat-trick and man of the match. Miles Stiddard was manager's man of the match for a fine game in defence.

MUNDFORD U14 played Reffley away in the league, and won 6-3. The game started with end-to-end football, but it was Mundford who opened the scoring, when a ball from Archie Blakemore was knocked in by Sam Bunten. A well-taken penalty by Mason Thorogood made it 2-0. Reffley replied with a great goal from a free-kick. Mundford applied more pressure, and a ball from Callum Webber found the feet of Bunten who made it 3-1 at half-time. In the second half, a great strike from Aiden Bond gave Mundford their fourth goal. Reffley then scored again, but Mundford retaliated with Bunten's third goal, and a well-taken shot from Ben Peacock. Another Reffley free-kick then hit the back of the net.

MUNDFORD U11 continued their good start with a 5-1 home win over Toftwood. After coming under some early pressure, Mundford broke away and Ryan Harvey latched onto Luke DeMeyer's pass to put the home side ahead. The lead was extended when Jack Pinner crashed the ball home from close range, but Toftwood scored from a penalty. The second half saw more scrappy play and Ben Wells had to make a smart save from a free-kick, but good play from Harry Walker put Harvey away to grab a third. Ryan Harvey finished from close range following a John Pearce corner, and added another soon after, running onto a Michael Corbyn through-ball to bring his tally to four. Just before the end, Luke DeMeyer produced an outstanding bit of defending. MoM: Jack Pinner.

THETFORD TOWN U12 hosted Dereham Reds, which proved a battle in more ways than one, with the visitors nearly seeing red on two occasions! Town started off brightly, but struggled to get through a compact Dereham side, before Daniel beat the offside and put one past the keeper. Dereham soon replied and the game continued end to end, with both sides having chances. Dereham had a run on goal, but Spencer Bolton saved it. Town came out in the second half more composed and started to play some fantastic football, and a great run from Taylor saw him net. Dereham once again replied. Town's heads did not drop, and they were rewarded with a penalty, which Daniel put away. Daniel scored a further four goals. Town hadn't finished, and a great ball from Andrew up the line saw Joe Lawrence strike the ball from 25 yards to score the goal of the season so far, then, with his confidence sky high, he managed to get another from a corner. Final score: 9-2. Well done for a fantastic performance. Thetford MoM: Elliot Day. Dereham MoM: Daniel Jursck.

HARLING COLTS U12 beat Mulbarton U12 12-0. Harling went to the top of the table with this comfortable win. Daniel Mobbs opened the scoring, with Luke Holland adding a second. Rob Turner scored a superb third, returning the keeper's goal-kick straight back over his head, and Isaac Watkinson added a fourth from an acute angle. Watkinson grabbed another before MoM Rorie Knights scored the sixth, with Rory Olpin adding a great individual goal. The second half saw more Harling pressure, with Turner getting another, followed by a penalty given for a foul on Sam Smith, which Knights converted. Watkinson completed his hat-trick with a screamer, before adding a fourth with a tap-in after Lewis Skinner's shot was only parried. Turner completed his hat-trick late on.

THETFORD INDIES U13 entertained local rivals Brandon and won 8-4. The game started at a fast tempo with Brandon taking an early two-goal lead. Indies got back level thanks to two great finishes from Charlie Read. But Indies went behind again after a mixture of sloppy defending and some good battling qualities from a Brandon striker. The home team showed determination to get back into the game, with a great one-two between Jordan Foster and Callum Maddix, who crossed the ball only for it to bounce kindly for Dom Barke who smashed in a volley. With a half-time score of 3-3 Indies started the second half stronger and Luke Jones lobbed the keeper from 20 yards. The home side looked to be controlling the game and Charlie Read scored three more goals to take his tally to five goals. Brandon didn't give up and got a goal back but Harry White scored to extinguish any late comeback. MoM: Charlie Read.

THETFORD INDIES U9A made it three wins out of three at the weekend as their excellent run continued with a 7-2 victory over Dereham Blue. The team got off to a slower than usual start with just two goals in the first quarter coming from Alfie Cooper and Kehan Whitby. However, it looked a very solid 2-0 lead going into the first break with another confident defensive performance from Konnor Dixon and Jordan Bowie. Dereham pulled a goal back in the second quarter following a rare defensive error which left the Dereham forward one-on-one with the Indies' keeper, Jamie Humphrey. A long ball from Aiden Try dropped kindly to Connor Noble in the area, who then restored a two-goal advantage. As the Dereham team tired, the Indies team grew in strength and confidence and put two more goals past their opponents through Alfie Cooper and Kehan Whitby, who were both scoring their second goals of the game. Dereham grabbed a second goal before Aiden Try netted twice, including a last-minute penalty, to complete the 7-2 victory.

WATTON U10 faced a stern test away at Cringleford, and after a tremendous game which could have gone either way, came away with a well-deserved point. After going a goal down early on, Watton battled back, and created a host of chances. Some great goalkeeping, and some near misses meant Watton went into the final quarter still trailing, but a late strike from James Beaumont brought the scores level. Full credit must go to all the boys for never letting their heads drop, and never giving up.

WEETING U10 moved to the top of the table with an 11-2 win over New Buckenham. It was their straight third win against the home team who played with one player short and gave a very good account of themselves by holding the visitors to only four goals in the first half, thanks to J Peach (2) and J Peeling (2). The second half saw the visitors begin to pass and move the ball around and eventually the goals starter to flow more with J Peeling complete his hat-trick, R Hunter scoring twice, C Stone, C Sheppard (who had a quarter on the field from his goalkeeping duties) and two more goals from D Buonocore (who moved up from his normal position in defence to striker). MoM: J Peach, PoD: J Peeling.