Milton Lindsay The team ranked the Evening News Norwich Sunday League's worst last season has received a timely tonic in the battle to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon again this term.

Milton Lindsay

The team ranked the Evening News Norwich Sunday League's worst last season has received a timely tonic in the battle to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon again this term.

AFC Mousehold enjoyed a close-season training boost from former Canary assistant boss Ian Butterworth but looked set for more misery when they lost their first four games heavily this term.

But it seems that Ian's words of wisdom during the Colney get-together are at last beginning to have some effect after Mousehold scored a desperately-needed win in some style at the weekend.

“This has raised morale 100 per cent,” said club secretary Peter Bales after a 5-1 victory over fellow strugglers Sporting Longdale Reserves.

“At half time and at the end of matches there has been stony silence but this time the lads were really buzzing. One game can work wonders.”

He reflected: “When we kicked off the season by losing 10-1, 8-1 and 8-0 I must admit I was thinking here we go again.

He explained: “We introduced six or seven teenagers at the start of the season and it has taken a while for things to gel.

“Sunday was the first time the team got it together and they swept the opposition off the park.”

He added: “The session with Ian did raise morale and one major thing the players did take out of it was keeping their concentration when they are not on the ball.”

Two of the team's long-serving old guard netted in the victory as Tim Read scored twice, with fellow over 40, player-manager Dave Whitmore also on target. Teenage newcomers Pepe Calvo, a Spanish striker, and Elliott Mirza also found the net.

“I think the younger players have geed the older ones up. I think it's good to have some old heads and some young heads,” said Bales.

The result saw Mousehold, who lost a wooden spoon play-off with Dancing Farmers last term, climb off the bottom of Division 4a for the first time this season.