Thurlow Nunn Premier: Downham Town 1-0 Thetford Town

5th April 2025

Downham Town vs Thetford Town @ Memorial Park - Downham Market

Thurlow Nunn Premier Division (Step 5)

15:00 KO

£7 entry

Attendance - TBA

Half-time score: Downham Town 1-0 Thetford Town

Goal:

Downham Town: Kirk - 12'

Final Score: Downham Town 1-0 Thetford Town

With 4 games to play to make up 6-points, making the play-offs was still achievable, but anything less than a win and it would be effectively over, and with their recent form and having to travel to a team battling for the solitary automatic promotion place, getting 3-points looked a slim chance. Downham Town had recently overcome two stern tests, beating Dereham Town and Mulbarton Wanderers, putting them within grasp of 1st place, a win today potentially seeing them go top!

I made the short trip up to Downham Market and on the way into the ground I picked up a printed matchday programme, a nice full colour glossy one for £1, great stuff.

It was a sunny afternoon with perfect blue skies, but with a strong underlying wind that became quite biting as the game drew on. Into the sunshine, hosts Downham Town lined up in their home red colours, with Thetford Town in their away mint green kit.

KEY MOMENTS

DT = Downham Town

TT = Thetford Town

12' - DT - GOAL (1-0) - Royle shuffles the ball across the edge of the box out to the open Dylan Kirk on the left, he whips in a cracking first time strike that curls into the top right corner, Dickerson had no chance stopping that!

45'+1' - DT - Royle on the right flank steps past the defender and drills in a low strike at the near-post that forces Dickerson to make the save with his legs, seeing the ball out for a corner.

46' - DT - Only 30 seconds into the second-half and a good chance for the hosts. Another ball across the edge of the box and another first time strike, this time from McQuaid, but it curls wide of the post.

75' - DT - Substitute Wells with a loose pass intercepted by Royle, he steams forward down the right, cuts inside and fires in a shot across goal, it is heading in but Dickerson dives to make another fine save.

A game with few incidents and even fewer chances, but the hosts were good for their win courtesy of a wonderful strike from the ex-Thetford Town Dylan Kirk, and bar a few moments of pressure in the 2nd half, Thetford Town were unable to have any meaningful shots on target as their season effectively ended with a whimper. The win takes Downham Town to the summit of the table as fellow title rivals Brantham Athletic were defeated by Dereham Town, and on today's performance it is difficult to see why they are top, but the table clearly doesn't lie and every game from here on in will have a lot of pressure attached to it of course. Next up for them is a tough away trip to Walsham-le-Willows whose play-off hopes are still very much intact, unlike Thetford Town. Big changes are needed at Thetford Town, and a lot of work is needed over the summer to get them ready for the 25/26 season, a year that will see the league strengthened with the return of Ipswich Wanderers and Haverhill Rovers. We have three games left this season which represents a great opportunity to begin this process, the dream of promotion is not over, just delayed another year, UP THE TOWN!!!

Line-Ups:

DOWNHAM TOWN: Duncan McAnally, Jake Miller, Luke Reed, George Watts-Sturrock, Simon Bird, Matt Castellan (C), Charlie Royle, Jacob White, Harley Murkin, Eoin McQuaid, Dylan Kirk. SUBS: Ben Smith, Nick Castellan, Marley Delgado, Ben Terry, Artur Visocanskis.

THETFORD TOWN: Ryan Dickerson, Sam Bond (C), Jaydyn Lott, Adam Laker, Dylan Grove, Kieran Money, Cameron King, Jordan Buttle, George Diggens, Dan Gilchrist, Callum Olpin. SUBS: Josh Wells, Elliot Smith, Harvey Lott, Matt Morton.