Thetford/Brandon/Watton notes

BRANDON LADS U9 beat Watton 11-2. Brandon opened the scoring with a brilliant goal (Jake Vincent) from some excellent passing from the whole team. Cameron Francis was played in by an excellent Ben Long ball and brilliantly finished the move with a lob from 25 yards. Jake was on fire and made it 3-0 from an excellent long throw from Callam Horn. The Watton keeper made some superb saves. Callam was unlucky not to score with an excellent strike from 20 yards, but up pops Jake again to add two more goals in quick succession then added another from an individual run and Stephen Clarke netted too. Watton were then awarded a free kick 25 yards out which was struck beautifully but Will Bales made an excellent save. In the third quarter Jake Vincent scored three excellent goals to take the score to 10-0, one was a brilliant individual run from the midfield coolly slotted home. Some excellent passing from Alex Matthews, Cameron Francis, Stephen Clarke and the two defenders really worked well. Last 15 minutes and Watton never gave up; they played some nice passes and were rewarded with a good goal from a well-taken corner. Cameron Francis was unlucky not to net before Jake got his ninth. Watton were awarded a controversial goal. MoM: Ben Long.

BRANDON LADS U12 beat Thetford 1-0 with Elliot Scott scoring.

BRANDON LADS U13 lost to Elmswell 10-0. In poor conditions, Elmswell took an early lead. Brandon battled well and came off at half-time slightly the better side. However the second half saw Brandon start well but it was Elmswell that again took the advantage scoring their second, Brandon continued to battle but Elmswell kept playing some good football to run away winners. MoM: Jack Field, great saves.

BRANDON LASSES U12 beat Copleston SC 2-0. Copleston started the game strongly, Lucy Page and Bethany Field held their ground well with Katie Meeson mopping up well in goal. Captain Georgia O'Malley pulled up injured and had to be replaced but Brianna Jamgochian came on and put in a very good performance for the team on her debut. In a very tight and competitive first half the Lasses looked sharp on the break with Amy Skipp, Chloe Killingworth and Gianna Bly linking well with Ellesse Masters. Brandon started the second half well, passing the ball with confidence and winning loose balls. They got their reward with Brianna playing in Ellesse to turn and strike into the corner of the net. Brianna was then unlucky with her effort coming off the bar. The two linked up again for Ellese to finish well from a tight angle. Gianna Bly moved back into defence and she and Lucy dealt well with any attacks to keep a clean sheet. The visitors made Brandon work hard but a very pleasing display by everyone.

HARLING COLTS U12 progressed to the League Cup quarter-finals with long-range strikes of quality to beat Costessey 3-0. Isaac Watkinson (MoM) was a constant thorn in the side of the Costessey defence before centre-back Trafford Rusted opened the scoring with a tremendous 30-yarder. Hayden Iles hit a post with another long-range effort before Luke Holland doubled the lead with a dipping shot from outside the box. Rob Turner sealed the win with another screamer from long range.

LAKENHEATH LEOPARDS U12 went into this game after a week off. The game started quickly with Jamie Allsop scoring in the first minute. Morley dug deep and after a defensive error pulled level with Lakenheath. The game continued with the sides evenly matched. Connor Knight broke down the right and crossed for Ben Nolan to slot home. The Morley keeper made some excellent saves to keep his team in the game. In the second half Lakenheath started to pass and move the ball around well and this resulted in a second goal for Jamie. Morley seemed to drop their heads when they conceded an own goal to make it 4-1. From a corner Miles Stiddard rose and headed the ball against the bar, but Kieron Danbrowsky slotted in. Kieron netted another, but it was disallowed for offside. The game continued in the Morley half and Connor Knight scored from the edge of the 18-yard box with a fine shot over the goalkeeper. After some good passing Shay Thomson scored to bring the score to 7-1. Morley continued to press and they were rewarded with a consolation goal. MoM: Connor Knight. Manager's MoM: Miles Stiddard.

MUNDFORD U11 travelled to play old rivals Cringleford on a small, sloped pitch which cramped Mundford's style a little. An early good move saw Ryan Harvey slot home the opener but the game became quite even with Luke DeMeyer and Todd Hutcherson prominent in keeping Cringleford at bay. The second came when Jack Pinner fed Roberto Alves whose delightful touch allowed Michael Corbyn to score, soon after a speculative effort from Dean Scott made it 3-0 before some sloppy defending allowed the home side to reduce the arrears but right on half-time Jack Pinner was quickest to react to fire home a loose ball. After the break Harvey outpaced the defence for a lovely goal, Harry Walker (MoM) then powered through and his fierce drive was half parried out only for Pinner to slot home. Sam Long's header was latched onto by Corbyn whose finish was clinical, the same player grabbed his hat-trick from Walker's pass before Ryan Harvey completed another hat-trick with a good finish. Cringleford got a second right at the end for 9-2.

MUNDFORD U14 played away to Downham Town B, in the quarter-finals of the League Cup and were 2-0 winners. Goal scorers were Robbie Smith and Tom Wells. Well done to the team for getting to the semi-finals.

THETFORD U12 played at Brandon on a blustery day and put in a disappointing performance. It should have been all but wrapped up in the first half but nothing was going Town's way with shots going wide and over and Brandon's keeper doing the rest. The few chances Brandon had were soon dealt with but for one corner, with the ball landing in front of goal and nobody dealing with it, simple goal for Brandon. Town came out the second half more focused but had an uphill battle and once again chance after chance went begging and at times if it wasn't for the defence of Andrew, Luke, Charlie and Dominik, Brandon would have put Town beyond any reprieve. Town continued to fight till the end, but gained nothing, losing 1-0. MoM: Nathan Boulton.

WATTON U15 played away to Division One leaders Jex in the Cup. Watton got off to a dream start with a quick midfield move and a lightning strike from Bruno. Watton defended as a team superbly, quickly closing the very skilled Jex to make them look very ordinary. The midfield of captain Nath, Bruno, Mikey and new lads Connor and Jono gave Jex no time to play, while the defence of Coops, Sol, Fitzy, Joe and Lewis cleared the danger area confidently. Louis was almost knocked out after a brave challenge with the Jex star Sam left them both injured. In the second half Jex began to panic and were forced to field resting players. They now looked more of a threat. Chris made some key saves but with 15 minutes to go Jex equalised through a corner. They followed with a controversial free kick and even stranger penalty decision. Well played Watton. Final score 3-1. MoM: Chris.

WEETING U10 moved into the last four of the cup with a 16-4 aggregate win over Mulbarton. With a 5-3 win for the visitors in the league last week the same score happened again this week. J Peeling broke clear and took it around the oncoming keeper and would have scored but was brought down, but soon after he did get on the scoresheet when he broke away again and finished in style. Pressure was rewarded when J Peach scrambled the ball home from close range. The home team pulled a goal back. The second half saw Mulbarton's best period of the game and two quick goals put them in front, with the visitors changing their team around with C Sheppard coming out of goal and he pulled them level with a shot from wide on the wing, he then put them in front when he turned well in the box and placed the ball past the keeper, the final goal came when M McCready blocked the keeper's clearance and fired home. MoM: R Hunter. PoD: C Sheppard.

THETFORD INDIES U9A were in confident mood after their cup victory over Bulldogs the day before and didn't stop working to finish off this SNYFL league encounter at East Harling. Kehan Whitby started what was to become his MoM display with a goal. This opened the floodgates as Jordan Bowie followed soon after with a shot from the edge of the penalty area. Alfie Cooper's long run down the pitch and eventual goal was then followed by a defensive lapse which led to Harling scoring their first goal of the game. This was to be one of few lapses during this game and normal service was resumed when Connor Noble scored his first of the game followed by a further two goals from Cooper, the second of which was superbly delivered to him by defender Brandon Dawson. Whitby pounced onto the resulting centre kick to immediately score a seventh for Indies before former Indies player, Jay Smith, netted for Harling. A Konnor Dixon cross was met by Noble to tap in. Further goals came from Aiden Try, Noble and Whitby (two) to make the score 12-2. The best passing play of the game between Try, Noble and Cooper resulted in an early goal for Cooper, netting his fourth . He followed this with a fifth and sixth goal before Aiden Try's strike from the edge of the penalty area found its way through a crowded box. Cooper added a further two more goals in the third quarter along with an additional goal from Noble. Cooper's ninth and final goal of the game came early in the final quarter. Whitby sealed his fifth of the game in style which was then followed by a thunderbolt of a free-kick from Brandon Dawson from the edge of the penalty area. A Harling own goal made the final score 23-2.

THETFORD INDIES U9A: This local derby was a SNYFL first round Trophy fixture, and the largest crowd that the Indies players had performed in front of came to witness a superb team display. Indies put pressure on but a determined performance from the Bulldogs keeper was the only thing that was preventing Indies from taking the lead until the closing stages of the first quarter when a long run down the right ended with a tame shot from Aiden Try which bobbled on the ground in front of the keeper and bounced over his hands for the first goal. The only goal of the next quarter came from a superb free-kick from defender Konnor Dixon which was whipped into the penalty area and finished off by Aiden. Some neat passing football between Alfie Cooper and Kehan Whitby ended with Whitby coolly slotting the ball home. Cooper then somehow scored directly from a corner. Towards the end of the third quarter Connor lobbed the keeper from distance. Bulldogs showed that they were capable of something dangerous, forcing a good save from Jamie Humphrey. Bulldogs were rewarded with a superbly taken goal. Bulldogs applied some pressure at the start of the final quarter but Noble wrapped up the scoring for Indies with a tap-in from close range after some more neat passing football, making the score 6-1 to Indies who progress to the second round of the SNYFL Trophy where they will meet Dereham Wanderers Yellow. MoM: Konnor Dixon.

THETFORD INDIES U9B: Heathershaw showed some impressive kicking in midfield, both delivering and clearing the ball. One such delivery by Heathershaw from a corner, dropped the ball right into the crowd in front of the goal where Blake brilliantly found the back of the net. The second quarter saw some adjustments up front leaving the stalwarts, McGill and Wilkinson in defence with Bernard in goal. Fowles, now back in midfield, was able to showcase his footwork, quickly beating a strong challenge from Mulbarton followed by a precise pass up to Richardson who, although denied that time, was able to finish the job a couple of minutes later, by kicking a very nice penalty into the net right up against a post. McGill also managed a fine feed up to Richardson. Brown's hard work and determination kept Mulbarton under pressure in midfield into the second half with the Indies resolved to keep their lead. Mulbarton's first goal from a free-kick was quickly replied to by McGill who managed to score after a scramble and several exciting attempts in front of the goal. As the final quarter approached, a brief lapse allowed Mulbarton to score to make it to 3-2 to the Indies. Dogged determin-ation in the final quarter held the score to the finish. MoM: Richardson.

THETFORD INDIES U10 lost this game in the first 10 minutes as Thistle took a quick 3-0 lead. Indies regrouped and started to become more effective in their play, gaining some possession and presenting some attacking purpose. Indies saw out the first half without further loss and went into the second half presenting an increasing threat. Indies pulled back two goals through Charlie McGill and then saw a string of chances fail to be converted. A draw was looking increasingly likely as Indies pressed their advantage but Thistle managed to score a fourth goal from a rare attack. The boys can take some encouragement from the fact that if they had played as well in the first half as they did in the second they would have won comfortably.

THETFORD INDEPENDENTS U13 hosted league leaders Bury Town B. The game started evenly with neither team creating many chances. Bury did start to get on top and after three successive corners where they were unlucky not to be ahead, some brilliant defending and a fine save by Dom Barke prevented them from taking the lead. Indies started to move the ball around well and it was Tom Mason and Charlie Reed who linked together brilliantly down the right and it was the latter who crossed for Harry White to come in back post to finish off a great move. The visitors replied with a good counter attack and again just before half time to lead 2-1. Indies came out for the second half fighting, competing for every ball and matching the league leaders. The game didn't have many chances mainly down to good defending from Luke Jones, Callum Crabb, Alex Mac, Charlie Hutt and Luke Chappell but a lapse in concentration and Bury punished Indies with their second 25-yarder of the game. Indies could have quite easily folded and let their heads drop but the boys picked them up and pulled a goal back thanks to Shey Spears who placed his effort low in the corner to create an exciting finish. Indies then threw bodies forward in search of goals but Bury caught Indies on the counter. Best display of the season. MoM: Ty Whitby.

BULLDOGS U9 hosted Indies A in the cup and were totally dominated, Bulldogs were not their usual selves and struggled to live with the fast and powerful Indies team. Bulldogs did manage one goal through a cheeky flick by Daniel but Bulldogs had Pedro and Lewis to thank for great performances in keeping the score down to 6-1. MoM: Daniel.

Bulldogs U9 hosted Swaffham looking to make up for the previous day against a very good Swaffham team. Bulldogs started well but John had to make some great saves but it took until the second quarter when Bulldogs broke through thanks to a penalty by Luke. In the quarter Swaffham struck twice to take the lead but Bulldogs levelled through Rhys and Luke finished a great run for 3-2. The last quarter Bulldogs saw out solidly. John was excellent and a big well done to Luke and Kieran who also had great games but Bulldogs again didn't play at their best. MoM: Pedro.

BULLDOGS U12 hosted Dereham Reds and fell behind early after a sloppy start but Daniel Stevens found a leveller and although George Serrano's good run was halted, Bulldogs couldn't get ahead. It was Dereham who retook the lead only for Alfie and Andre to play Daniel in for 2-2. In the second half Daniel found Andre to make it 3-2. Joseph made a good save and then Daniel pounced on a mistake for 4-2. Joseph made another good save from a free-kick and then Daniel found Aigazs Parpeius for 5-2.

WATTON U10 comfortably booked their place in the cup quarter-finals with another superb display against nearby Rocklands. Leading 9-0 from the first leg, Watton showed no hint of complacency as they went on the attack right from the first whistle and as soon as the opening goal went in there was only ever going to be one winner. Leading 2-0 after the first quarter, and 6-0 at half time, Watton changed things around in the second half with Cameron Hudson taking a turn in goal, Asher Duncan getting a rare outfield appearance in defence, Kade Bond pushing up into midfield and Oliver Kerrison playing up front but Watton still continued to dominate. A further seven goals followed, Watton winning 13-0 (22-0 on agg). Goalscorers were Joshua Walker (4), James Beaumont (4), Liam Owen (3), Sam Bray (1) and Matty Hendrie (1).