31st August 2024
Heacham vs Thetford Town @ Station Road - Heacham
Thurlow Nunn Premier Division (Step 5)
15:00 KO
£8 entry
Attendance - 175
Half-time score: Heacham 1-1 Thetford Town
Goals:
Thetford Town: Diggens - 8'
Heacham: Hilliard - 39'(P)
Thetford Town: Money - 64'
Final Score: Heacham 1-2 Thetford Town
Following their brilliant mid-week performance against Harleston Town, Thetford Town looked to record two wins on the bounce as they travelled up the coast for their first Norfolk away trip of the season to face Heacham. Heacham had a poor start to the season, losing their first 4 games of the season, but recently looking like they had begin to turn the corner with a home victory against Woodbridge Town and an away win the FA Vase against a high-flying Step 6 Diss Town, meaning Thetford would need to turn it on again to secure all vital 3-points.
With it being August, I took advantage of the match location and headed up early with the family. We have done Hunstanton many, many times, and South Beach in Heacham, but never the North Beach, so we headed there on this cool Summer's day. Wonderful beach, dunes and a promenade made this a great setting, supported by a range of small cafes, an ice cream shop and amusements, we all had a great time.
After a couple of hours, I left the family to enjoy themselves and walked up to the ground, only a brief 20 minute walk through the caravan park, then the village proper. Upon entering the ground, I picked up the obligatory match day programme, another excellent thick, full colour one, the Thurlow Nunn Premier is excelling itself this season so far.
It was a breezy, cool day on the coast, and in warm-up the pitch looked to be a bobbly one. Onto this the teams came out, with Heacham lining up in black and white stripes, and Thetford Town in their away mint green kit. Third away game in a row the hosts have worn black & white stripes, with Woodbridge Town last weekend, and Long Melford the week before that.
KEY MOMENTS
HC = Heacham
TT = Thetford Town
3' - HC - Early chance for Thetford, a cross in from the right from Jackson is headed goalwards by Prentice, it is heading in but Dickerson gets down to make a fine diving save.
6' - HC - Williams is played through, he shoots from the edge of the box, the effort is somewhat scuffed but is bobbling into the bottom left corner, but Dickerson gets down well again to make yet another fine diving save, early chances for the hosts.
8' - TT - GOAL (0-1) - On the break, Elliot Smith plays Diggens on, he takes the ball into the box and slots it across the keeper and into the bottom right corner, clinical finish for Thetford's first chance of the game.
21' - TT - The ball breaks nicely for Olpin, he takes it into the box and shoots across the goal, but keeper Watson makes a diving save and does enough to put the ball out of reach of the onrushing Diggens at the far-post.
27' - TT - Thetford break and Olpin, with two options ahead of him, threads Diggens through, his effort looks like it is heading in but Watson gets an outstretched leg on the ball to make a fine save indeed, both keepers pulling out some big moments today.
31' - HC - Heacham get a free-kick in a dangerous position. Prudence steps up and hits a wonderful dipping shot, it is heading in under the bar, but a fantastic acrobatic save from Dickerson sees him tip it over the bar.
39' - HC - PENALTY & GOAL (1-1) - Heacham attack down the left, the winger rides one challenge and gets into the box, and just before he shoots Grove challenges, but takes out the man and not the ball to concede a penalty. Hilliard steps up and drills the ball into the bottom left corner, Dickerson does guess correctly and gets down well to make contact with the ball, but there is too much pace on it to turn it away from goal, game on!
42' - TT - Great response from Thetford as they look to regain their lead. A long ball forward puts Diggens through on goal again, but his effort using the outside of the boot is again matched by keeper Watson - without him Thetford could easily have had 4 by now.
44' - TT - Olpin and Jake Mann link up down the right, a cross/shot from Mann floats in and is dropping into the goal, forcing Watson to scramble backwards and tip it over the bar.
48' - HC - Free-kick for Heacham on the edge of the box causes chaos in the Thetford area, the ball pinballing around, but somehow Thetford finally manage to clear the ball.
52' - HC - Ball drops to Jackson on the edge of the box, his volleyed effort is fired in, but thankfully whizzes harmlessly wide of the post.
63' - TT - Grove and Mann link up well down the right and the ball is crossed in, Elliot Smith challenges for it and the weak defensive header drops to Wells whose strike is saved, but wins a corner in the process.
64' - TT - GOAL (1-2) - Short corner taken, Money drives into the box from the right hand corner and blasts the ball into the top right corner, top bins, incredible hit, needed something special like that to beat Watson this afternoon.
83' - HC - Hospital pass at the back is intercepted by a Heacham player and he rounds the oncoming Dickerson, with the goal wide open the scrambling Thetford defense initially prevent the shot, but Heacham find substitute Reeve open, he shoots and it looks a dead certainty to go in, but from nowhere Dickerson flashes in and makes a wonder save, this moment surely securing the win for Thetford, heartstopping stuff indeed.
This game was a story of excellent goalkeeping and a bobbly pitch. Thetford had enough gilt-edged chances in the first half to put this one to bed, but Watson was inspired and Heacham dug in and made chances of their own until they won and converted their penalty. In the 2nd half Thetford scored a fantastic winner but for half-an-hour they made hard work of holding on to their lead to set up a nervy finale, with Heacham looking certain to have equalised, were it not for the heroics of Dickerson. For this reason, Dickerson is my man-of-the-match, but special mention to Elliot Smith who had a brilliant shift up top winning header-after-header and sprinting all game, as well as captain Sam Bond who was a rock at the back, I lost count of the number of clearances and interceptions he made this afternoon. Heacham was a nice welcoming ground and they looked a solid side, and I'm sure they would feel that they could have got something from this game. Despite Thetford making the end of the game difficult for themselves, they secured 3 huge points on the road and on a bobbly pitch to secure their first back-to-back wins of the season. Getting 3-in-a-row is going to be a huge challenge as they host early pace-setters, and local rivals Walsham-le-Willows this coming Tuesday evening. Games between these two sides are always a tight affair, but with Walsham-le-Willows losing to Ely City, Thetford have the chance to peg them back and catch-up with them in the table, but it is going to require Thetford at their best for sure, and to take their chances when they come, UP THE TOWN!!
Line-Ups:
HEACHAM: Aaron Watson, Shane Akers, Colby Wood, Jordan Goult, Ben Dear (C), Josh Williams, Matthew Prudence, Tommy Hunt, Jack Prentice, Toby Hilliard, Joe Jackson. SUBS: Andy Willmott, Harry Cupit, Tyler Reeve, George Hutton, Conall Forde.
THETFORD TOWN: Ryan Dickerson, Josh Wells, Jaydyn Lott, Adam Laker, Sam Bond (C), Callum Olpin, Jake Mann, Dylan Grove, George Diggens, Kieran Money, Elliot Smith. SUBS: Malachi Wright, Marley Reynolds, Cameron King, Dan Gilchrist, Liam Levy-Twomey.
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