Thetford/Watton youth notes

BRANDON LASSES U11 played Firside U11 on a blustery day more suited to kite-flying. They were looking for their first win of the season and got it with a 5-0 scoreline. Brandon were playing some lovely passing football. Ruby Robertson and Katie Page had everything covered at the back. The midfield of Georgia Dargan, Leah Zawiasa and debutant Ellesse Masters completely controlled midfield, while Millie Bales worked tirelessly up front. It was no surprise that midway through the first half Ellesse Masters made it 1-0 to the Lasses. Brandon kept pushing with Leah hitting a post several times and Millie and Georgia going close, before Ellesse scored Brandon's second. With this Brandon's heads were held even higher with Katie Amacker, in goal, a virtual spectator. The second half started the same as the first, with Brandon putting Firside on the back foot. With Brandon looking comfortable the first change was made. Firside did have an attack on goal, but Katie Amacker in goal was equal to it. With some more quick passing out of defence, through the middle where Jessie Whybrow picked the ball up and lobbed the keeper for Brandon's third. Firside did have a couple more attacks with no outcome. Brandon were firing on all cylinders now and Jessie scored her second while Freya Hayward had one cleared off the line. Lasses made it 5-0 when Jessie's shot was deflected by a defender into their own net. Overall,

a tremendous all-round effort. PoM: Ruby Robertson.

BRANDON LASSES U12 started brightly against Felixstowe Hawks and Chloe Slater's shot came off the bar. In a half where Brandon did not really play the football they are capable of, they kept control and took the lead from a well-taken goal by Georgia O'Malley receiving the ball in the area, beating the defenders and tucking the ball away. Brandon played better football in the second half with Ellesse Masters netting twice, the first after breaking free from the halfway line and the second from a lovely ball in from Amy Skipp. The Lasses saved the best to last with some lovely one-touch football and Chloe Killingworth finishing on the far post to make the final score 4-0.

BRANDON LASSES U15 knocked Whitton United off the top of the table with this fine win. The scoring started when Megan Norton got on the end of a corner kick. Harriet Mills hit number two then Lasses went three up on the half hour when Sally Eastwood chased onto a long ball and tucked it past the advancing keeper. The second half started with Whitton in a more determined mood and before long they had pulled a goal back. Lasses defence were working hard by now and soon it was 3-2. Back came Brandon with skipper Tash Rutter making it 4-2. Right on the final whistle the visitors got an own goal for a final score of 4-3 to Brandon. PoM: Megan Norton.

BULLDOGS U11 visited Wymondham and started well with Andre Marco opened the scoring. Then a great ball by Andre found Daniel who shot just wide. Bulldogs were looking solid at the back and some good passes by Milo, Archie and Henrique were breaking the Wymondham defence. Alfie Small was denied by the keeper and David Reynolds rebound was denied. Andre Marco it 2-0 then Bulldogs went three up when Daniel Stevens lobbed the keeper. Alfie and Daniel came close. While replacement keeper Jordan wasn't tested Bulldogs got a good 3-0 win.

w On Saturday Bulldogs held the Diego Garcia Memorial Tournament contested between eight club teams with the U14 parents beating the U9 parents in the final. Bulldogs thank Jo Simpson for organising it, The Bridge for use of facilities, Ali and Celia Garcia for supplying the food, the refs, coaches, managers and parents for taking part and raising �239 - with half going to Ali and Celia.

THETFORD BULLDOGS U10 travelled to Harling for a well-contested match. Bulldogs started slowly but after a good run by Luke he was brought down on the edge of the box and Luke dusted himself off and hit an excellent low free-kick into the net. Then it was end to end football and Daniel was unlucky not to be denied. Harling started the next quarter well and their striker levelled. Harling were now applying pressure but Bulldogs counter-attacked and Rhys poached the first of his four. Harling instantly responded and Bulldogs were caught short at the back and Harling levelled. Harling dominated the rest of the quarter but it ended 2-2. In the next quarter Jayden played in Rhys for 3-2. Bulldogs were applying great pressure and Rhys was played in and he secured another hat-trick. Bulldogs made it 5-2 when Jayden's persistence paid off and he smashed low and hard into the net after a great run. Harling scored again low when their keeper kicked long and the striker finished well. Bulldogs got their three-goal lead back when Pedro hoofed a corner clear and Rhys netted for 6-3. In the last quarter Bulldogs got a seventh as Daniel ran through the defence and excellently finished into the bottom corner. Harling got another back low and made it 7-4. Pedro finished the scoring as he bundled in a goal after a scramble. A good display as Bulldogs saw off Harling pressure at the end to confirm the win. MoM: Rhys.

HARLING COLTS U12 came sprinting out of the blocks in this match, Sam Smith hitting the bar within the first minute and then Daniel Mobbs scoring in the second, direct from a free-kick. Only four minutes later a slick passing move involving Rob Turner, Thomas Dunning and Smith played in Luke Holland to slip the ball past the keeper.

A third came two minutes later when Rorie Knight's great cross was controlled by Mobbs to score his second. Daniel Canham cleared off the line from a rare Scole attack before Harling added another before the break, Mobbs' cross being well controlled by Smith who rounded the keeper to score. The second half was more evenly balanced with MoM Mobbs completing his hat-trick from a Rory Olpin pass either side of Scole goals. Final score: Haring 5, Scole 2.

LAKENHEATH LEOPARDS U12 started this game against Thetford who were third in the league. There was early pressure with Lakenheath taking the lead from a 25-yard shot from Connor Knight which looped over the keeper. After more pressure Sam Buckley added a second with a fine left-foot shot in the box. Thetford came back strongly and scored two quick goals to level. They then took the lead with a further two goals, leaving Lakenheath looking at another defeat early in the league. However, they fought back winning a corner which Ben Nolan took, curling the ball straight into the net. With this goal the heads went up, but Thetford continued to put pressure on and Shay Thomson made some fine saves to keep them at bay. Lakenheath equalised with a fine shot from Sam Buckley and the final 10 minutes were nerve racking with both teams eager for the win. Lakenheath won a corner again with minutes to spare. Ben Nolan took the corner and again curled the ball into the net, putting Lakenheath into the lead. Thetford pressed and nearly equalised in the final minute, but a fine save by Shay Thomson kept them out. PoM: Danny Gibson and Shay Thomson for their outstanding work during the game.

MUNDFORD U11 received an early setback in a top-of-the-table clash at home with Swaffham as they conceded early. Gradually Mundford got on top with Todd Hutcherson having a commanding game but were snatching at their chances until just before half-time when Luke DeMeyer's cross was turned home by Sam Long. The second half saw the home side really get the upper hand and took the lead when Jack Pinner thumped home after good work by Harry Walker and Ryan Harvey. A great team goal involving Ben Wells, Jack Sutterby, John Pearce, Joe Zipfell and Michael Corbyn, saw a sweeping move go the length of the pitch and end with Ryan Harvey clinically finishing. George Hammond then got in on the act with his first goal for the club. Good work in midfield from Long and DeMeyer allowed Harvey to put Pinner away to complete the scoring. A great second-half performance. Final score: Mundford 5, Swaffham 1. MoM: John Pearce.

MUNDFORD U14 played Dersingham, away, in the league, and came away with a well-deserved 8-1 victory. Mundford were lucky to go 1-0 up through an own goal. They then took control of the game, and a cross from Sam Bunten was smashed into the top corner by Casey Underwood. Mundford continued to attack and Bunten and Underwood combined again for Underwood's second goal, making it 3-0. Bunten then scored two goals in quick succession himself and Underwood completed his hat-trick. Great defending from Daniel Jackson, Ryan Billmen, and Aiden Bond and keeping from Adam Whybrow held the score at 6-0 at half-time. In the second half Dersingham came out on the attack, but Bunten managed to break through to score Mundford's seventh goal. Dersingham's persistence paid off, and Mundford conceded. Some good midfield play, then enabled Bunten to score his fourth goal, making the score 8-1. Good work from Robbie Smith, Callum Webber, Archie Blakemore, Ben Peacock, and Mason Thorogood in midfield.

THETFORD INDIES U11 are looking for new players to join their developing team. Indies FC are a Chartered Club with qualified and registered coaches. Please visit Indies website at http://www.freewebs.com/indiesfc/ or club Nigel on 07766 086462.

THETFORD INDIES U10 travelled to Rocklands and were slow to start but soon found their feet. Ben Daynes opened the scoring from a well-struck free-kick, going 1-0 up, but Rocklands replied straight away with an equaliser. Then a corner from Ben saw Klae Tucker score with a header to put the visitors 2-1 ahead again, Rocklands soon came back with equaliser. But further pressure from Indies put them 3-2 up with a long- range shot from Ben, and with a swift break Indies went 4-2 up. Rocklands again put up a brave fight, making it 4-3. Reece Rudd and Justin Halford in defence remained solid for the rest of the game. But with only four minutes to go Ben scored again for his hat-trick and made the final score 5-3 to Indies. A very close game, but Indies came out on top for their first points of the season.

THETFORD INDIES U13 travelled to local rivals Bulldogs in the first round of the KO Cup. The game started scrappily with neither team able to get the ball down and play. Indies create a couple of chances when Jordan Foster and Harry White both slipped through on different occasions but couldn't beat the Bulldogs keeper. Just before the half-time whistle the home team took the lead after great work down the right gave the left winger an excellent opportunity and he lifted the ball over Dom Barke in goal. The second half started how the first finished with the home team maintaining the pressure on the visitors, and it paid off when a sloppy back-pass put the keeper under pressure and the resultant poor clearance fell to a Bulldogs player who had an easy job of tapping it in. Indies soon got a goal back thanks to the hard working Harry White who tapped in at the far post. Indies equalised when Charlie Read was put through and netted. Minutes later the same player then gave Indies the advantage, looping his header up over the stranded keeper. Luke Chappell then finished off the fightback with a left-foot shot into the far corner. Great comeback from Indies but a great performance from Bulldogs who were unlucky to lose 4-2.

THETFORD INDEPENDENTS U11 played their first game of the season against New Buckenham. They started with only 10 players but were soon 2-0 up. The 11th player arrived and Indies dominated the game and scored two further goals with the opposition scoring one in reply. The team worked extremely hard and should have won by a bigger margin. Well done the whole team. This week the team played against East Harling who top the league. They started well and were soon 2-0 up again. In the first half Indies had Harling pinned in their own half but Harling scored two on the break. At half-time the game was evenly matched. Harling then dominated in periods and Indies seemed to have the energy knocked out of them. Harling scored a further three goals and Indies replied with one more. Final score 6-3 but the team again worked hard and the scoreline does not reflect the game.

THETFORD INDIES U9A/U9B players faced each other in their SNYFL league fixture this weekend. With gale-force winds blowing across the rugby club pitch where the two teams play made conditions for playing football difficult, but it was that same wind that helped Indies A open the scoring within the first two minutes of the game as a ball lofted forwards by Jordan Bowie was carried by the wind over the head of B-team keeper Harry Roberts. Two further goals during the first quarter came from Kehan Whitby. The second quarter began where the first had left off with some skilful work in the opposing team's penalty area from Connor Noble and was rewarded with the first of what was to be two goals for him leading up to half-time. Indies B pressed hard during the second half of the game despite being 5-0 down and some solid defending from Eddie Wilkinson, the B-team's MoM, kept the A-team's chances to a minimum during the third and fourth quarters. Kehan rounded off his hat-trick in formidable style with a well-struck shot from outside the penalty area for 6-0. Once again Indies B worked the A-team hard in the final quarter and almost put themselves on the scoresheet when a Lucas Fowles' shot hit the left-hand post and bounced across the goalmouth for keeper Jamie Humphrey to collect. Indies B keeper Harry Roberts was also in fine form during the final quarter keeping out a string of A-team shots before Aiden Try broke away with the ball from the half-way line to slot home the final goal for 7-0 to Indies A. MoM: Jordan Bowie.

THETFORD U12 hosted Lakenheath on a windy day and came away with nothing after an end-to-end game. Town started slowly, allowing the visitors too much time on the ball and soon found themselves 2-0 down. This seemed to wake Town up and soon pulled a goal back by Daniel and then equalised soon after by Bart. Town now started to play some good football and found themselves ahead at half-time with Bart firing home his second from a corner. The second half started even but within the first five minutes Lakenheath levelled. Then Lakenheath started to take advantage of the wind, putting the Town defence under constant pressure with high, long balls but the defence and Spencer in goal dealt with them well. Town broke away and the hard-working Nathan got a well-deserved goal. But it was Lakenheath who had the final say, scoring from two corners; the first the ball came back off a post and was fired home and the second was scored with the wind taking the ball into the net direct from a corner. Final score: Thetford U12 4, Lakenheath U12 5. Heads up boys, you did not deserve to lose. Lakenheath MoM: Nathan. Town MoM: Spencer.

BRANDON LADS U12 scored two goals in each half to give them their fourth win of the season. The team again travelled to Dereham to play the Reds. The lads looked a little nervous from the off and gave too much respect to the bigger of the Dereham players. Dereham put the Lads under some pressure early on and forced a number of corners which were dealt with well by the defence. Brandon took the lead midway through the first half after Callum Thorogood beat a couple of defenders to fire the ball home from a good angle. This was followed quickly by a second when Kyle Pearson found the net with a fine strike from distance. After half-time Lads went on to increase their lead when a cross from Thorogood on the right was nodded home by Reece Goetsch. A fourth soon followed when from a Dereham clearance the ball fell to Olly Gritty who powered a shot into the net. Dereham then responded well and got a goal back when George powered through the Brandon defence to finish with a powerful strike, giving the Brandon keeper no chance. A second Dereham goal came from the penalty spot, when Nial Ridge was adjudged to have fouled a Dereham striker, and the penalty was converted to set up a tense last 10 minutes. Brandon's players worked hard as a team and could have scored more if the ball had been squared across the box on numerous occasions instead of being hit straight at the goalie.

BRANDON LADS U13 came up against a strong Hadleigh team in the League Cup. Hadleigh started the better team and with the Brandon defence making a rare mistake Hadleigh grabbed the opener and then two more. Brandon's 'never give up' approach saw them playing some great football. In the second half Brandon came out with a great fighting spirit which saw them completely control the game and soon saw Lewis Norton rounding the keeper to score. Brandon's midfield were now dominating the game, Brandon then won a corner which was superbly delivered by Harry Rampley and met by Sam Chappell's brilliant powerful header who had just come on and was his first touch of the ball. Brandon were then caught on the break and gave away a corner which saw Hadleigh scramble home their fourth. Brandon's heads never dropped and kept attacking the Hadleigh goal. It wasn't long before some great work by Isaac Allen, on the right wing, put in Rampley who placed the ball at the far post for the hard-working Jake Bogle to tap in. Although Brandon never gave up, time was running out and they were denied a last-minute penalty when Bogle was brought down by the Hadleigh keeper. This was another great performance by Brandon, even in defeat, and all the boys should be proud of their performance. MoM: Isaac Allen.

WATTON U10 maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a comfortable victory at home to Diss. A goalless first quarter gave the visitors hope, but a 10-minute spell in the second quarter saw Watton take charge of the game. Once Watton opened the scoring, there was only ever going to be one winner, and with goals from Oliver Kerrison, Matty Hendrie and Liam Owen (2), Watton went in leading 4-0 at half-time. The second half saw Watton continue to dominate, with Sam Bray and Kade Bond playing well, and Sean Grix looking assured in his first game of the season. Asher Duncan was also alert as ever, and one smart save prevented Diss getting a consolation. Watton pressure told with further goals from Ollie and Joshua Walker, before Liam completed his hat-trick. Ben Walker then completed the scoring with a long-range strike to give a final score of Watton 8, Diss 0.

WATTON U15 played at home to Horsford on Sunday. Horsford were the first to score but the Watton lads quickly scored to equalise through a simple tap-in from new lad Bruno. The Watton lads battled really hard but were to concede two more goals before half time. In the second half Watton smothered Horsford with some great play from all areas of the pitch, eventually being rewarded with another goal from Bruno. The home team were unlucky not to find the goal on another three or four occasions and although Watton had most of the possession throughout the second half, Horsford were fortunate enough to hold on to the win. MoM: Bruno.