The fixture that should have been on Boxing Day or New Years Day finally happened. The chance to avenge our 3-0 away defeat to the boys from up the A134. A bumper crowd, both teams hit by injuries, a cold winters evening in Suffolk.
Missing captain Joe Wright, Sean Marks and Freddie King and forced to field a patched up Reece Harris as a makeshift forward and naming Joe Grimwood returning from injury on the bench. Sudbury had a different look about them.
Harry Critchley started his first game for the first team since we met Hullbridge away, back when the skies were blue and the sun was hot.
The opening exchanges were pacy but not incisive, the pattern of the game developing. Bury looking to run at the AFC backline, quick passing and cute angles but the back 3 of ABD, O'Mally and Baris with help from wingbacks Benno & Critch kept Walker relatively protected. AFC were trying to make progress down the flanks but both Benno & Critch were well marshalled by their counterparts.
Goal mouth action was few and far between unit the 26th minute when Reece Harris charged onto a ball over the top down towards the left corner of the visitors box. Bugg in goal for Bury, raced out but Reece flicked it past the onrushing keeper. Surely a goal now as Reece bore down on goal, the keeper floundering on the pitch behind him. 2 Bury defenders tried to close off Reece's route to goal and with everybody screaming for him to shoot, Harris took his time. Picking his way towards goal, jinking this way and that before finally wrong footing both defenders and flicking the ball with the outside of his foot into the net ( My sponsorship money paying dividends there... i think i chose Reece for this moment alone)
A fantastic goal and really the first chance on target for either side. The lead might have lasted barely 2 minutes but for Paul Walker's superb fingertip save down low to his right. The pattern of the game was now set. Bury flooding forward and AFC holding firm and trying to pick Bury off.
On 37 minutes the lead could and should have been doubled as Tom Maycock strode through the middle, one on one with Bugg, but the Bury keeper did well to charge down the effort as well as the subsequent effort from Holland and then Maycock again.
The break came with AFC a goal to the good. Bury would surely come at us in the 2nd half.. how would the game pan out from here?
Sudbury returned to the field minus Reece Harris, another injury blow. On in his place was Kyle Cassell.
5 minutes into the half Walker is forced to save well from Olly Hughes. 7 minutes into the half and the Sudbury lead is doubled.
Cassell winning a corner down the left. Callum Harrison floating a deep corner into the... whoa there.. it bends in at the far post, touching nobody on the way and into the net. That goal gave AFC a very welcome cushion. Bury were finding it hard to get through to Walker but on 64 mins Hughes again forced the AFC custodian into action and this time an amazing low save to keep out a goal bound header. This felt like it was going to be our night. We believed.
The game got a little tetchy with cards for both teams. Substitutions came and went. Critchley was replaced by Grimwood, Harrison by Hunter. On 76 minutes AFC sowed it up. A deep ball beyond the far post saw Bailey Dennis keep it alive, heading back across goal for Kyle Cassell to net his first goal for the first team and to wrap the game up as a contest. Have it!
Bury huffed and puffed but could find no way through and when the final whistle came there could be no doubt that AFC were worthy winners on the night.