Brantham grab second win on the trot!!!

Photo -left- defender Jono Crouch who had a solid match at the back. Photo ( top -right )- Sean Gunn who set us on our way with a hard shot from a good 25 yards out that went into the goal low and hard,with Sean's shot leaving the keeper no chance.

RIDGEONS PREMIER DIVISION - WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 2nd
WALSHAM LE WILLOWS 1 BRANTHAM 3

There was a minutes silence and a presentation in memory of the four men from the area who had died in a recent accident. I am sure that everybody within Brantham Athletic and football in general pass our condolences onto the families.
Brantham picked up their second league win in five days with a hard worked for 3-1 win away to Walsham le Willows. The ground was looked at by the match referee a couple of times but in the end he gave the nod for the game to go ahead. We started off quickly and had the first real chance when the ball was played through to Ollie Mann and Ollie had to go wide to collect the ball and his effort from an awkward angle went over the bar. Both teams were coming to terms with the heavy pitch but it was us who broke the deadlock. A good move saw the ball played into the Walsham area and during the melee the ball was cleared out of the area. It fell straight into the path of Sean Gunn, who from a good 25 yards out, drilled the ball home low and hard into the far corner,leaving the keeper no chance. We then had the shouts from the Brantham supporters - "Gun(n) rifles home straight and true" or from Graham Mower " Gun(n) hits the target with a well placed shot"!!.0-1. This seemed to knock our opponents back a bit and a good move forward saw Ollie Mann lay the ball back for Chris French, moving up from the back, to latch onto but a Walsham saw what was going on and just beat Chris to the ball. Walsham started to come forward in numbers and from a corner the ball was played away from the goal and Soanes hit a good shot at goal that was stopped on our goal line. Moments later Walsham pushed forward and a hard shot looked like it might go in but Jono Crouch managed to get a foot to it and deflect the ball out for a corner. The Brantham goal was living a bit dangerously at times and keeper Ryan Bedingfield was called on to go this way and then that way to keep the ball from crossing the line a couple of times. Walsham drew level with a well worked goal with the ball ending with McLaughlin who shot home through a crowded area. 1-1. Walsham felt they should have had a penalty after a player was brought down, but the referee who was right up with play, waved play on, much to their disbelief as you can imagine! After the break we started to hit the ball about well with both Ollie Mann and Lee Grimwood getting through a lot of work. Kieran Lawler was put through but from a distance he put his shot wide of the target. A Sean Gunn corner was put just wide by an onrushing Adam Bloss while at the other end of the field Walsham's McLaughlin put a header wide of the post. Minutes later Soanes broke through and with Ryan Bedingfield playing his own personal game of keep-up with the ball, somehow Soanes could not force the ball over the line. Bedingfield was called into action again minutes later with a great stop almost on the line from a close range effort by Johnson. Walsham then had Musgrave sent off for a second cautionable offence after he had brought a Brantham man down from behind. From the resultant free kick Ollie Mann lined the ball up and his shot beat the keeper only to hit the woodwork . We regained the lead when Lee Grimwood put a corner deep towards the far end of the Walsham goal and Adam Bloss ran in and headed a superb goal into the opposite far top corner of the goal. You could sense that this knocked Walsham back yet again and we started to hit the ball about well. It was 3-1 in our favour with a goal from midfield maestro David Grimwood. David broke down field and from outside the area he switched from one foot to the other and with the keeper seeming to keep an eye for one side of the goal David dinked a shot into the far top corner, finishing with his trademark smile to let us all he had scored. David did say after the game that he had intended to put the ball exactly where it finished up in the back of the goal ,but was not sure if it would make it, but much to his and our relief it did in style!!
Our thanks to all at Walsham for their hospitality and we know that our next match will be a hard match at home to Wroxham and we are all keeping everything we have crossed that it is going to be a third win on the bounce- I am sure it will not be for the lack of trying by the team!
Brantham - 1.Ryan Bedingfield. 2.Jono Crouch. 3.Chris French. 4.Jack Sibbons. 5.Adam Bloss. 6.Kieran Lawler. 7.Marc Lowe. 8.David Grimwood. 9.Ollie Mann. 10. Lee Grimwood. 11. Sean Gunn. subs - Keiron Smith-Edwards, Andy French and Lee Willcox.
-----barry felgate----