Felixstowe & Walton United FC

AFC SUDBURY  2  -  0   FELIXSTOWE & WALTON UNITED  

Seasiders slip to away defeat

Felixstowe & Walton United fell to defeat at AFC Sudbury this afternoon with two second half goals enough to take the three points in a game of little quality and of few chances. Felixstowe had the better of the possession and missed two good chances themselves either side of the break but the home side scored both of their opportunities to move up to fourth in the league table.

The Seasiders made three changes to the side that beat Tilbury at The Goldstar Ground last Saturday, Harry Knock, Curtley Williams and the suspended Ollie Canfer missing out, and Jordan Matthews, Miles Powell and Leon Ottley-Gooch starting. Tommy Smith and Rory Porter were on the bench with Lamell Howell, Joe Whight and Noel Aitkens still all side-lined by illness/injury.

There was a good crowd in attendance with plenty of travelling Seasiders boosting a home turnout that were given the opportunity to buy tickets for the Yellows big televised Emirates FA Cup tie versus Colchester United on Friday 5^th November. The MEL Group stadium must go down as the best ground at this level in the country, let alone Suffolk, and the live BBC coverage will certainly spread the news on what is achievable at non-league football when you have people like Sudbury have always been blessed with over the years.

It was a tight opening period on the 3G surface with Felixstowe shading the possession. The first real sight of a chance was on 14 minutes, Josh Hitter sending a good ball through the middle for Zak Brown to chase but the keeper comfortably saw the ball out. The game remained a stop start affair with neither team able to stamp their authority enough to dominate the game and create, but the away side looking the most likely when moving forward. The golden chance of the half came on 23 minutes, Jordan Matthews winning the ball in the centre and threading a delightful ball into the path of Josh Hitter who was clear in on goal, he beat the keeper with his shot to the right but the ball flew a foot wide as the away supporters started to celebrate. A minute later and Sudbury created their first opportunity, Callum Robinson blocking well with his body when Cruis Nyadzayo fired on goal when in a good position in the box. Josh Hitter went down under a challenge in the area on 31 minutes but the referee deemed it to have been a dive and a yellow card was shown. Sam Nunn was in the right place to block a cross from Temple as he looked to cross into the six yard box on 35 mins before Josh Hitter again had a perfect chance to put the Seasiders ahead, Stuart Ainsley crossed into acres of space but Hitter could only watch on as his firm header went just over the bar. Sam Nunn got the ball stuck under his foot as he looked to turn and shoot from 12 yards on 40 minutes but the teams went in level at the break with Felixstowe perhaps disappointed not to be ahead.

Sudbury came out looking a little livelier second half and immediately saw a shot beaten down by Armani Schaar on the edge of the box. Henry Barley then attempted to repeat his latest party trick from recent matches by creating space on the right, beating two defenders and again trying one of his curler specialties, this time the ball was inches from nestling in the far left top corner when the goalkeepers’ fingertips reached out to divert the ball for a corner. Sudbury wasted a free kick in a good position a minute later but on 50 minutes they broke the deadlock with a goal from nowhere. The ball ricocheting around the area and falling kindly to Captain Lewis O’Malley in space who side footed the ball past a stranded Callum Robinson. The home side seemed happy to let Felixstowe come at them for the remainder of the half and to frustrate them at every opportunity by slowing the game down. With so many players missing through illness and injury it was a hard task for the Seasiders to create too many chances and they often lacked the quality needed when the final ball came to be played. Zak Brown and Rhys Henry had half chances but in all honesty they never really troubled the goalkeeper in the last half an hour of the game, despite the still superior possession. Zak Brown’s glancing header wide from a corner and Billy Holland trying his luck from 35 yards was the closest we came to an equaliser as the clock ticked down, and as is so often the case when the game is not going your way, Sudbury broke and doubled their lead on 88 minutes, Thomas Maycock doing well to rise and head the ball into the far side of the net to seal the victory.

Speaking after the game, Felixstowe Manager Stuart Boardley said. “I think it was a really poor game, two poor sides on the day contesting a game that I really felt for the supporters who had to endure it like I did! I felt we had a lot more possession in the game, we know they are not that type of side anymore, not a possession based side, they look to put it into dangerous areas and they all work incredibly hard for each other. It’s a disappointing performance but I am feeling for the lads in there today, there are players having to play with knocks due to the other players we have missing and that is something I have to address, we need to get some new players in the building this week, I’ve got to the point where we can’t keep waiting for players to become fit again, the squad needs a bit of a boost and that is what we are looking to do over the next few weeks”.

Match report by Stuart Daynes

Photos by Thomas Bradford

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