AFC Go Through With Ease

A.F.C.Sudbury welcomed Walsham Le Willows to the Wardale Williams Stadium for a First Round tie in the Suffolk F.A. Premier Cup. Sudbury made four changes from the side narrowly defeated at Bognor Regis Town on Saturday with Callum Robinson coming in for Marcus Garnham in goal, Adam Tann and James Baker rested in defence. Aaron Greene having joined Bishop’s Stortford prior to the match and Ben Robinson leaving for Cambridge City, allowing manager Jamie Godbold to further shuffle the pack.

A.F.C. Sudbury kicked off the match attacking from right to left as viewed from the Brian Tatum Stand. In the opening exchanges Stefano Mallardo latched onto a deep Jack Wilkinson throw from the left and his resultant shot went high to the right of Craig Brand’s Waltham Le Willows goal. Sudbury’s wait for the lead was short-lived however. From a sixth minute free-kick just outside the penalty area on the left, the ball was knocked short to Jack Wilkinson whose delightfully delivered curling shot defeated Brand at the far post and rippled the net.

It was almost two a couple of minutes later when Liam Wales let the ball bounce over him, finished past Brand, but he was adjudged offside. The lead was doubled after twelve minutes however. Sam Bantick’s pace proving far to hot along the right wing and his cross met by Liam Wales who touched home from close range.

Walsham kept their heads despite the deficit, and on nineteen minutes Ryan Clarke sent a dipping shot over Callum Robinson’s crossbar. Following a nice interchange of passes between Liam Wales and Jordan Blackwell, the latter was fouled just outside the Waltham penalty area. The free-kick was nudged short to Craig Parker whose shot swerved viciously out of play for a throw on the right.

On twenty-eight minutes the busy Sam Bantick cut inside form another pile-driving right wing run to send a shot high over the visitor’s crossbar. Liam Wales then showed quick feet to find Jordan Blackwell whose whipped left wing cross whizzed through the Walsham Le Willows penalty and away to safety. Sam Clarke and Jordan Blackwell exchanged quick passes with the Sudbury skipper sending a low shot on target which Craig Brand was perfectly positioned to gather with comfort.

On thirty seven minutes the visitors grabbed a goal back. From a free-kick delivered into the heart of the defence, Ryan Clarke reacted first to steer the ball past Callum Robinson in the home goal. Two minutes down the line and Walsham almost grabbed an equaliser when Sam Peters’ fierce effort just sneaked past the left hand upright.

From a Jack Newman free-kick on forty-three minutes Liam Wales rose to head his second goal of the game as Sudbury restored their two goal cushion into the half-time break. It was almost more for A.F.C. Sudbury when Jordan Blackwell found Sam Bantick in a pacy move up the park which saw the Sudbury number seven fire over the crossbar.

Half-Time AFC Sudbury 3 Walsham le Willows 1

Anthony Furlonge replaced Sam Bantick for A.F.C. Sudbury at the break. Bantick had taken a knock late in the first half.

Craig Parker’s quick ball to Rob Eagle on the left saw his angled drive just evade the right hand post with Craig Brand all but beaten. Rob Eagle then found Jordan Blackwell with a neat pass. He sent the ball into Craig Parker whose shot went over the Waltham Le Willows crossbar.

Another lifeline for the visitors occurred on fifty-three minutes when Ryan Henshaw handled in the box and Craig Nurse despatched the resultant penalty kick down the centre of the goal. A neat exchange of passes between Craig Parker and Liam Wales saw the latter up-ended and Rob Eagle’s twenty-five yard free-kick travel wide left of the Walsham goal.

Reece White made his A.F.C. Sudbury debut coming on for half-time substitute Anthony Furlonge. On sixty-eight minutes a superb save from Craig Brand saw Craig Parker’s thirty-yard shot pushed wide of goal. Parker then found Sam Clarke who in turn teed-up Jordan Blackwell on the edge of the Walsham penalty area only for Brand to pull off another fine block.

Some desperate, hard-working defending by Walsham Le Willows was finally undone in the seventy-third minute. Ryan Henshaw recovered a cleared ball, found Craig Parker in the penalty area who made no mistake in firing past Brand. Parker then fired over the visitor’s crossbar just a minute later as the home side looked to put the tie to bed and the visitors appeared to tire.

It was 5-2 just a minute later however. Liam Wales’ strong run saw him cross into the penalty area where the ball evaded Jordan Blackwell and fell to Craig Parker to score his second of the night. Liam Wales then had a fine shot met with another excellent save by Craig Brand as the home side threatened to run riot.

Skipper Sam Clarke was replaced by Manager Jamie Godbold with twelve minutes of the match remaining and the boss was only just denied an opening A.F.C. Sudbury goal when the busy and effective Brand fell low to cut out a fine Rob Eagle cross.

On eighty -two minutes Sudbury had six and Craig Parker his hat-trick inside nine minutes. From a break away on half way initiated by Jamie Godbold’s touch onto Rob Eagle, Parker met his cross to finish easily past Brand.

Craig Parker almost had four when he attempted an audacious lob from over thirty yards which defeated Brand and came back into play off the foot of the left hand post. There was time for Craig Parker to add a fourth goal however. From a left wing cross he stroked the ball into the net from close range. Jack Newman sent a shot just wide of the right hand post late on as A.F.C. Sudbury cruised into the next round of the Suffolk F.A. Premier Cup.

Att 95

Richard Whiting