Stalham Town 0 - 4 Loddon Utd Sat 7th Dec 2024 1.30pm ko
Scorers: Marcus, Chrissy, Webbo, JJ
Assists: Marcus, JJ, Chrissy
Loddon: Daniel Loades; Tom Sergeant, Jack Tipple, Bailey Hill, Robin Andersen; Matthew Webster, Elliott Hannant (c); Alex Kounnas; Harvey Johnson,
Chris Husband, Marcus Dunthorne-McInerney,
Subs: Josh Knights, Jayden Godfrey, Matt Ayre
Manager: Jake Sharpe Asst: El

We couldn’t have asked for a better start. Inside a minute, following a Sarg cross, Marcus picked up a stray home clearance and with his usual deadly accuracy, scored from the edge of the box, put us ahead. 0 – 1
Alex K fired a shot wide and Bailey volleyed away a Stalham long ball as the drizzle turned into that really fine driving drizzle that gets under your brolly and makes your legs really wet really quickly! Stalham rarely troubled Dan and going forward we struggled to keep the ball long enough to provide our forwards with clear chancs. El Skipper let it known that he wasn’t happy, but I’m guessing the weather wasn’t helping. We were very good at playing the ball square and back to Dan though. Bailey made the most of the wet surface by sliding in to block a shot and concede a corner which Dan punched clear. Marcus had a shot blocked after Webbo set him up before Tipps and Sarg sorted out Town’s break. Alex K, in his favoured no.10 role, in his favoured no.10 shirt (probably no.10 socks and pants too) carried the ball a bit too long. When he did finally release the ball, Chrissy was offside. We should’ve made more of our possession but play constantly broke down before we could test the home keeper. Rob started a good move through Alex K, Marcus, and Chrissy whose final pass was just behind Harv enabling a home defender to toe the ball back to his keeper. Sarg won a corner which we wasted before Marcus set up Chrissy for a shot which failed to test the keeper. After further good possession Marcus chipped forward for Chrissy again but he just didn’t have his shooting boots on…plus the added pressure of big bro’ Alex on the side line (came to see if we were good enough to sign for us but we can’t afford his demanded wages of 500 jelly babies per week anyway) didn’t help. Alex K was next to fire off target as we finally seemed to be creating better chances. Bailey did well to cover Tipps and dive backwards to head back to Dan. Another quick move forward from Tipps to Chrissy saw the latter control, turn and put Alex K away. The pace of the pass just beat him but the movement was excellent. After more good possession Webbo was caught out and Bailey was forced to block a shot. We earned a free kick 23 yards out, then a corner as Town’s no.4 growled with frustration. Chrissy failed to connect with a lovely ball into the box from El. Bailey started a move which ended with a Marcus drive to the keeper. Harv was next to test the keeper with a good effort and another corner went begging. Maybe we need to engage a ‘set piece coach’ eh??
El hit a sweet free kick deep to the far post. Rob headed back across the face of goal but no poacher was there to supply a finish. Marcus did finish Alex K’s pass but the flag was raised as the ball bulged the net. Dan was equal to a Town free kick and we had a last push but couldn’t conjour another chance before the break. HT
We started the second half with better urgency epitomised by Webbo’s sliding tackle on the ref. (Should’ve gone to Specsavers…with the ref??). Alex K found the side netting before Town played a suicide ball across their back line straight to Marcus. With the keeper off his line he tried to capitalise quickly but with insufficient pace on the ball, the keeper recovered. El found Rob with a free kick but his header back into the danger area was just another chance to go begging. Sarg won a corner from his early cross after Chrissy’s lovely through ball…Harv was millimetres from getting his head to it. Sarg scuffed a shot wide when set up by Marcus and Town responded with a cross and header off target. But we had the bulk of possession, but just failed to convert it into goals which of course gave Stalham hope….Until… on the hour mark, Marcus galloped down the left, squared into the box, Harv occupied two defenders and the keeper, the ball spilled to Webbo, eight yards out, and he gratefully fired home. 0 – 2
This gave Sharpey some breathing space. JJ came on in midfield for Harv with Chrissy moving to the right. For such a young lad, JJ has quickly settled into senior football. Although he lost possession from an early challenge, he quickly got back well to recover the ball and gain the encouragement and applause of his skipper. JJ then carried the ball forward confidently, worked around defenders with Chrissy who finished well after ‘forcing’ JJ to give him the ball rather than go on himself! 0 – 3
This prompted the arrival of Knightsy to replace Webbo in a straight swap. Tipps put in a lovely recovery tackle and prompted another attack via Knightsy, Marcus, Sarg and Chrissy, before Sarg was awarded a free kick following good advantage offered and brought back by the ref.
Alex K lashed a wayward shot from 23 yards. El played a peach of a pass to Marcus and Alex K fired from distance again, with the keeper off his line, he just missed the target. Sarg found El in support and his square ball found Marcus, but the keeper saved twice as Marcus’ second effort was a rather heavy touch. Tipps again won the clearance, found JJ who slipped the ball to Chrissy in the box. He cleverly dummied his defender, invited the attempted and failed tackle and won the penalty. He stepped up himself to take the ball but was ordered by ‘the management’ to give it to our ‘penalty taker’, Marcus….he hit the bar!! Ooops (well, Salah missed the other day).
Sarg saw yellow for ‘stopping’ a breakaway. Dan did really well to punch clear their free kick when under pressure from the uncompromising home no.4. Max replaced Alex K for the last 12 minutes or so; normally long enough for Maximus to get a couple of goals and a card; not today though! Chrissy tried to curl a shot around the keeper, Knightsy blazed one over the bar from just outside the box, and JJ sent the keeper the wrong way with a lovely shot from the edge of the box after set up by Chrissy. 0 – 4
Marcus miscued a wild effort and cramped up, resulting in the reappearance of Harv.
The last few minutes saw us game manage, play some neat football and create some half chances, plus Dan kept a clean sheet with a good performance.
It took us a while to get going after our early goal, but a half decent team performance. A special mention must go to youngsters Bailey and JJ who both looked good and more than capable at this level. But it was El Skipper who caught the eye this week….good captaining, top passing, and great positional support in both defence and offence and he gets the Musker McIntyre MoM. There’s life in the old dog yet!!

Apologies for lack of report from the Holt midweek game…too bloomin’ cold!
See you all at Kirkley….1.30pm ko….JC