Hadleigh 2 Seasiders 1 - Report
As summer arrived, the reserves concluded their 2017/18 campaign with a final league game at Hadleigh hoping to finish on a high after their cup win earlier in the week. A win would leave the Seasiders 4th after an impressive second half of the season.
Unfortunately, the Seasiders went down 2-1, in a match where they should have taken something from with endless chances, especially in the second half.
In the end it was the home side who came out the winners, scoring within the first 3 minutes with Max Tate finding far too much space to score past keeper Ben Punter.
The Seasiders found their rhythm and had chances to equalise with efforts from Joe Hunt, Shane Forbes, Joe Allum and top goal scorer Harry Archer, but all were denied.
The visitors did ride their luck when Hadleigh smashed a shot against the post early in the second half but the Seasiders equalised through Lewis Smy. His side foot effort from close range was enough after Josh Horton intercepted the ball and went on a run to square the ball to Smy from six yards out.
At this point it was the visitors now on top but the defence got caught napping and gifted Hadleigh a second against the run of play.
The Seasiders pressed on and Lewis Owen first shot over from a corner and then just wide minutes later with other efforts from Smy, Archer, Josh Horton who all could have grabbed a goal. Even keeper Punter in the dying moments of the game arrived for a corner only to see his effort go just over the bar.
It was one of the games that just wasn't meant to be, but looking back across the season it has been a good year for the reserves, winning the Suffolk Senior Reserve Cup and an impressive run of form especially since the turn of the year.
Next season we look to see what the Thurlow Nunn Division One North brings, and how much of a step up this will be, one that the squad should be relishing.
Seasiders: Ben Punter, Dan Horton, Ryan Sparrow, Lee Burns, Lewis Owen, Joe Allum, Sam Segger (Captain), Shane Forbes, Lewis Smy, Joe Hunt, Harry Archer.
Subs: Macaulay Howell, Rory Porter, Lewis Main, Josh Horton, Kyle Birchfield