A.F.C Sudbury welcomed Chatham Town to the Wardale Williams Stadium looking to cement their place in the Play-Offs in Ryman Division One North. Unbeaten in the league since New Year’s Day, A.F.C. Sudbury were welcoming a Chatham side in twentieth position and desperate to gain the necessary points to steer them clear of any relegation dogfight.

Chatham kicked-off the game attacking from left to right as viewed from the Brian Tatum seated stand. Marcus Garnham received an early touch as the ball rolled through his area as the opening attack broke down. From his kick he found Luke Callander in a central position just over the half-way line. His superb ball into Scott Kemp allowed the Sudbury mid-fielder to fire the home side ahead after just fifty-seven seconds.

It was almost two a minute later when captain Sam Clarke curled a shot from just outside the penalty area which beat Chatham ‘keeper Ryan Nicholls only to come crashing off the crossbar and away to safety. From a fourth minute right-wing corner delivered by Scott Kemp the ball fell for Luke Callander whose shot was brilliantly saved by Nicholls in the centre of his goal.

A twelve minute corner from the left, this time delivered by Sam Clarke, fell to Jordan Blackwell whose shot was blocked and cleared by the Chatham defence. Ryan Henshaw found Tyler Kemp with a sweeping pass after robbing Joe Bingham on the charge for Chatham, but the visitor’s forays toward the home goal were few with Lewis Knight firing high and wide past the post from twenty-five yards in a rare attack on twenty minutes.

Tyler Kemp then found brother Scott with a great pass with the latter crossing into the Chatham penalty area where confusion briefly reigned until a boot relieved the pressure. Bingham was well dispossessed by Ben Robinson before the Chatham number ten attempted a dive in the home penalty area which was met with complete indifference from the officials.

Kieron McCann looked to break through the resolute home defence, but Ryan Henshaw halted his progress with a finely executed challenge. Jordan Blackwell sprinted along the right wing to deliver a cross gratefully grabbed by Nicholls as Sudbury continued to boss proceedings with clinical efficiency. Blackwell then launched himself on another night wing run and found Ollie Berquez with a cross and the Chatham defence did well to deny the Sudbury man a shot on goal.

McCann tried his luck again, this time James Baker cooly stopping the progress with a finely timed challenge. Jordan Blackwell again worked some space along the right through sheer pace alone. His cross fell to Sam Clarke whose effort was blocked and cleared upfield. Berquez shot wide from a thirty-eighth minute cross by Callander and the half drew to a close with Sudbury only ahead by a solitary goal despite their almost total domination of possession.

Half Time; AFC Sudbury 1 Chatham Town 0

Chatham started the half with a little more brightness than they had displayed in the opening forty-five minutes, but their potency as an attacking force was never to give Marcus Garnham a serious save to make all afternoon. Kieron MaCann was again stopped in his tracks by a fine James Baker tackle and Bingham missed out when Ben Robinson easily delt with a telegraphed pass intended to set him on course for the home goal.

Despite possessional advantage passing back into their hands, Sudbury needed that second goal to finish the game as a competition. Their defence was superb as Chatham struggled to make any headway in front of goal. On sixty-six minutes that elusive goal came. Craig Parker received the ball on the edge of the Chatham penalty area and after beating a defender, slotted home past Nicholls.

Just a few minutes later and Parker (pictured) received a knock which resulted in his being replaced by Kris Newby. Luke Callander released Kris Newby on seventy-nine minutes and his cross into the Chatham penalty area caused all manor of confusion before the ball was eventually cleared.

On eighty-four minutes Ollie Berquez headed Kris Newby’s superbly delivered free-kick against the right-hand post and a minute further on a run from Ryan Henshaw saw him find Scott Kemp whose cross seemed to be caught and carried behind the goal-line by Chatham ‘keeper Ryan Nicholls, but a goal-kick was the strange outcome.

Josh Kerridge and Ayrton Coley came into the action with a few minutes left to run off the clock with Sam Clarke, after another fine performance as A.F.C. Sudbury Captain, and Scott Kemp making way. Ben Robinson then sent a ball for Kris newby to chase, but the dry pitch took the ball out of play just a little too quickly for any dangerous move to be engineered.

Marcus Garnham punched a free-kick clear before rising to grab an injury-time free-kick on an afternoon where he’d rarely been needed thanks to the dominance of the side in front of him.

Sudbury played out the three minutes of injury-time without a hint of alarm and took three more vital points as their superb unbeaten run stretches to yet another game, in fact fourteen a new Ryman League club record.

Next Saturday A.F.C. Sudbury journey into Norfolk to face high-flying Dereham Town, themselves looking for a Play-Off place in what promises to be a cracking game.

Att 248

Richard Whiting