Three Points, Three Goals

A.F.C. Sudbury returned to league action following Saturday’s postponement due to the heavy rain and a waterlogged pitch. That game, against Ware, has been rescheduled for Tuesday January 27th. Sam Clarke returned following suspension to add some bite to midfield.

Soham Town Rangers kicked off the game attacking from left to right as viewed from the Brian Tatum Stand and started with real purpose when a snap-shot from Luke Stanley looked goal-bound until Marcus Garnham rose to tip the ball over the home crossbar. From the resultant corner, Stanley again fired towards goal. This time the ball deflecting wide for a further corner kick. The right-wing corner from Joey Abbs was plucked from the air by Garnham.

The game settled into a pleasing fast-paced encounter with a youthful Soham happy to take the play to their hosts. Sudbury’s opening corner came after eleven minutes and was delivered by Lee Flynn. The half-cleared ball fell to Jordan Blackwell whose shot went over the Soham crossbar.

It was a lucky thirteenth minute for A.F.C. Sudbury when they grabbed the lead. Enol Ordonez punched a cross clear of the Soham penalty area, the loose ball falling to Ollie Berquez who finished with a neat low shot.

Sudbury, confidence growing, strode forward. Sam Clarke’s persistence in midfield saw him find James Baker whose quick low shot was an easy gather for Ordonez. The Soham ‘keeper then lost the ball to a marauding James Baker who crossed to Berquez who was unfortunate to head over an unguarded net.

Soham broke well with Stanley honing in on goal at pace, but Marcus Garnham, who reads the game so well, was out quickly to close out the danger. Matt Simpson was next to try to break through the Sudbury back line, but once again Garnham snuffed out the attack with calm efficiency.

A fine exchange of passes between Ollie Berquez and James Baker saw the ball smuggled behind by the Soham defence for a right wing corner and Kris Newby’s delivery was headed clear. From the break Ryan Henshaw and Ben Robinson combined to soak up another promising and rapid Soham break.

Lawrence Yiga then denied Abbs with a great tackle before Garnham was again on hand to deny Stanley who had raced clear into the centre of the A.F.C. Sudbury box. On twenty-four minutes Kris Newby crossed brilliantly from the right for a perfectly-placed James Baker (pictured) to head home to double the home side’s advantage. On thirty-one minutes a Matt Simpson effort was turned away by Garnham with Craig Pope clearing any lingering danger.

On thirty-six minutes Soham gained a foothold in the match when they were awarded a penalty when Blackwell was adjudged to have pulled back Luque . Joey Abbs struck hard and low to the left of the goal giving Marcus Garnham little chance.

A minute later and a confident Abbs was stopped in his tracks by Ryan Henshaw with Lee Flynn alleviating the danger with a long clearance. Luke Stanley beat the Sudbury offside trap, but Marcus Garnham got enough of a touch on the ball to maintain Sudbury’s lead into the break.

Half-time AFC Sudbury 2 Soham Town Rangers 1

Lee Flynn’s stopping challenge on the busy Luke Stanley on forty-six minutes came during a bright and revitalised period of play following the break from the visitors. Slightly against the run of the early second-half play, Sudbury restored their two goal lead. An advantage played on half-way with Sudbury appealing for a free-kick saw James Baker power forward with a brilliant run, he eventually found Kris Newby who fired past Ordonez with a great finish.

Sam Clarke saw yellow for a foul on the hour before Kris Newby’s right wing surge saw him send a cut-back ball across the six-yard area where Ollie Berquez was tantalisingly close to applying the finishing touch. Newby then released substitute Scott Kemp whose shot was magnificently saved by Soham ‘keeper Enol Ordonez. Terry Rymer came on in the seventy-sixth minute for the hard-working goal-scorer James Baker as the home side looked to close in on three points.

A seventy-seventh minute Soham Town Rangers free-kick was cleared by Craig Pope before the same player was on hand to once again deny the tricky Luke Stanley. Scott Kemp broke up another Soham break, his ball to the on-rushing substitute Jack Wilkinson was just too strong and the danger cleared.

Sudbury maintained good control of the match and saw out time to claim a fine victory against a spirited Soham side who more than contributed to a flowing and fast-paced game of football. The officials coped well with a refreshing performance that was beyond excellence.

Att 158

Richard Whiting