Tuesday 10th November 2009
Bloaters 6, Fakenham Town 1
Yarmouth boss Paul Tong had his team problems before this Division One Knockout Cup tie on Tuesday. Blaine Lowthorpe replaced the unwell Michael Hilton in the Yarmouth goal, while Gavin Norman was cup-tied and Craig Roberts serving a one match suspension. Then barely half an hour into the game, Marcus Saunders’ problem groin strain reappeared and he had to go off.
Perhaps these factors contributed to a slow start by the Bloaters, but if ever there was a game of two halves, this was it. On a cold, damp and foggy night, the Ghosts haunted the Bloaters with a tantalising first-half performance that promised to throw some light into their so-far miserable season. Mark Betts gave Fakenham the lead after 26 minutes, heading in a centre from the left wing, and it was a deserved lead after the visitors showed more appetite for the game with some incisive passing, while the hosts looked sluggish.
Jake Betts should have increased the lead before Yarmouth were thrown a lifeline just seconds from half time when Fernando Vide won the ball on the edge of the Fakenham box: he twisted and turned his way into a tight shooting position from where he somehow beat ‘keeper Sean Cooper at his near post, a wonderful first-ever goal for the senior team.
Manager Paul Tong’s half-time talk must have been inspirational as the Bloaters tore into Fakenham from the restart and ran in a further five goals. Within five minutes, Yarmouth had taken the lead when Vide scored his second, beating Cooper on a tight angle, and in another two minutes it was 3-1 when Vide supplied Adam Sewell who finished with a neat header.
Yarmouth substitute Liam Bartley scored the fourth with a thumping shot after 65 minutes and the tie was over as a contest. It was thirty minutes into the second half before Yarmouth ‘keeper Lowthorpe even had a touch of the ball - and that was a back pass – as Yarmouth ran riot through a tattered Fakenham midfield. There could easily have been more goals before two in the final two minutes from Dominic Smith and then Jake Reed put the icing on the cake for the Bloaters, and but for an excellent goal-line clearance in stoppage time it could have been seven.
Yarmouth now progress into the quarter-finals where they will meet Halstead at home on December 7th, a team they also scored six against in the home match previous to this one.
Yarmouth – B Lowthorpe, B Junior, O Savage, M Magee, A Sewell, M Saunders (J Bell 28), F Vide, D Smith, S Roach (L Bartley 62), J Reed, S Woodcock (M Thompson 62).
Referee – J Block (Lowestoft)
Attendance - 41