25th March 2023
Ipswich Wanderers vs Thetford Town @ Humber Doucy Lane - Ipswich
Thurlow Nunn Premier Division (Step 5)
15:00 KO
£8 entry
Attendance - 501
Half-time score: Ipswich Wanderers 0-2 Thetford Town
Goals:
Thetford Town: King - 6'
Thetford Town: Diggens - 21'
Ipswich Wanderers: Rose - 66'
Ipswich Wanderers: Folkes - 93', 97'
Leigh Simons recorded the goals, see the links below:
Final Score: Ipswich Wanderers 3-2 Thetford Town
So here it is, the game that has been lined up for a while as the big one, pitting the two high flying teams of the division against each other as they battle for the only guaranteed promotion spot. Thetford Town have been leading the way for most of the season, having stretched out a 11-point lead at one point, but Ipswich Wanderers have always been the threat, with several games in hand, they have plugged away and taken advantage as Thetford have slipped up in recent weeks, with only 1-point separating the two teams before kick-off. Whilst a win today will not guarantee winning the league as there are other games to come against high calibre opposition, a win for either team would certainly give them the upper hand. Whilst Thetford Town got the better of Ipswich Wanderers in the reverse fixture, Wanderers are in a rich vein of form, and playing at home, so would be going into the game as favourites in my opinion. One things was for sure, it was going to be a big afternoon and a game to remember for both sets of fans. As a Thetford Town fan, prior to kick-off, I said that I would go home satisfied with a draw, although blown away if the lads could secure a win.
Upon getting to the ground, we found a good place to stand for the game, and I then went to check out the facilities. The burgers looked really good so I grabbed a cheeseburger and can of coke. It was a really good cheeseburger, could easily have had a second if I hadn't gone out for breakfast earlier.
On the way in, I had also picked up a programme, I had heard good things about the Ipswich Wanderers programmes and it did not disappoint, £2 for a full colour glossy 30+ page programme, full of stats, match reports and photos from Chenery Creative, very nice!
Eventually the players came out to a large crowd, bolstered by the non-league day initiative, to what was a sunny first half, with Ipswich Wanderers in their blue and while home shirts, and Thetford Town also in their first colours of claret and blue.
KEY MOMENTS
IW = Ipswich Wanderers
TT = Thetford Town
6' - TT - GOAL (0-1) - Elliot Smith intercepts a poor ball in the middle of the park, he immediately threads in King, who beats the offside trap, he is through 1-on-1 and slots the ball past keeper Brand, the ball hitting the inside on the post on the way in, a dream start for Thetford!
11' - TT - A ball into King is dinked past the defender, he has him beaten and will be through on goal, but is scythed down by Rose. A yellow card is given, but should it have been a red? Although it was on the half-way line, Ipswich had a high line and King would have been through on goal.
19' - IW - A long ball is launched forwards, Laker lunges for it but it is just out of his reach, but it drops to Glover and he takes the ball and shoots, but he gets poor contact on the ball and keeper Tom Smith is able to gather it up.
21' - TT - GOAL (0-2) - Nathan Clarke pings a long diagonal ball up to Diggens on the right wing, he skins the defender, bursts into the box and fires the ball across the keeper and into the far corner of the net, a clinical finish from the Thetford striker to put them 2-0 up early.
31' - IW - During an Ipswich Wanderers attack, a shot is fired in and ricochets off a Thetford defender, the ball spins out to Madley on the left wing, who hits a first time strike at the near-post, but he is just off target and the ball goes into the wrong side of the side-netting.
34' - IW - Coelho picks up a long ball, a great cut-back sees him lose the defender, he them has a go from 20 yards out, his effort dipping into the bottom right hand corner of the goal, but Tom Smith gets down well to make an important save.
45' - TT - Nathan Clarke receives a yellow card for a 50-50 challenge, much to his and the Thetford players confusion.
45'+2' - IW - A ball is whipped into the box and Tom Smith collects it, but he is smashed by an onrushing Wanderers player and requires treatment. He does not return for the second half, replaced by Macauley Rodgers.
56' - TT - King goes on a run in the midfield and threads in Gilchrist down the left wing, he takes the ball into the box and fires in a shot at the near post, forcing a save from the keeper, but should he have squared the ball back to King who was open inside the box?
66' - IW - GOAL (1-2) - A ball is looped over to Rose on the edge of the area, he hits an awkward stabbed volley, Morton tries to clear but it spins back of his boot towards the substitute keeper Rodgers, who is unable to control the ball and it falls into the net.
74' - IW - Substitute Read goes on a tricky run in off the right wing, he makes his way into the box and leathers in a strike at the near post, forcing a corner.
77' - IW - Substitute Folkes picks up the ball inside the box, the goal is begging but he scuffs his shot and Rodgers gets down to stifle the ball.
84' - IW - From a corner, captain Roper bangs in a volley, which is flicked off the line by a Thetford defender.
87' - TT - RED CARD - Elliot Smith receives a second yellow card for a couple of challenges on the left wing, Thetford are down to 10-men.
90' - TT - RED CARD - Disaster for Thetford, Nathan Clarke cuts in a makes a challenge outside the box, for which he receives a second yellow card and is off. His first yellow was dubious indeed, this one possibly was too, either way, very unlucky and Thetford go down to 9-men and are pinned inside their box.
92' - IW - Read curls in a ball from a free-kick, it is heading in to the edge of the goal, but Rodgers gets across and dives to make a fantastic save.
93' - IW - GOAL (2-2) - From the corner of the box, Read curls in a dangerous ball into the box, and a brilliant glancing header from Folkes sees the ball squeeze in between the diving keeper and the post, to bring Ipswich Wanderers back on level terms.
94' - IW - A long ball in from Cunningham is met by the head of Rose at the far-post, it looked to be in but goes into the side netting.
95' - IW - The Thetford goal is being peppered, and during the mayhem the ball is cleared off the line again.
97' - IW - GOAL (3-2) - Wanderers finally breakthrough to complete a famous comeback, a long ball is pumped in, it is headed towards the centre of the box, Anton Clarke heads it down to Folkes who finsishes from close range, heartbreak for Thetford Town, ecstasy for Ipswich Wanderers.
Not sure where to start on this one really, but I will keep it relatively brief, I think the people who were there and the players know what happened in this game, but, I think it is fair to say that the refereeing had a big impact on this outcome. At the end of the day, it was an almighty tussle between the best two teams in the league, and in a game full of drama, Ipswich Wanderers won through in the end against a wounded Thetford Town clinging on with 9-men. Despite the result, Thetford Town can hold their heads high, they left everything out on the pitch and can walk away with no regrets. The win gives Ipswich Wanderers the upper-hand in the title race, as they stretch their impressive winning streak. For me, the substitutes made a huge impact in the game, Read and Folkes in particular looked like excellent players, Read the man-of-the-match in my view, creating chance after chance. Back to Thetford Town, thoughts turn to the next game at home against Long Melford, in what will be another very difficult game. I hope that the absences due to the two red cards don't have too large of an impact, although the players will be missed for sure, and I also hope that Tom Smith, Dan Gilchrist and Cameron King aren't carrying injuries after they were subject to some over-zealous tackles, as well as captain Bond who hobbled off with a pulled muscle, although I am hearing Tom Smith may have broken ribs. Time for Thetford to lick their wounds, and come out fighting on Saturday, they are now the chasers and not the ones being chased, and that changes things, UP THE TOWN!!!
Line-Ups:
IPSWICH WANDERERS: Craig Brand, Paulo Coelho, Jack Madley, Joel Glover, Mark Roper (C), Kris Rose, Anton Clarke, Daniel Cunningham, Jamie Eaton-Collins, Thomas Maycock, Teon Leggett. SUBS: Joshua Folkes, Nathan Read, Kie Dyer, Matthew Paine, Liam Jennings.
THETFORD TOWN: Tom Smith, Matt Morton, Sam Bond (C), Jordan Lake, Nathan Clarke, Jake Mann, Adam Laker, Elliot Smith, George Diggens, Dan Gilchrist, Cameron King. SUBS: Andrew Cusack, Ollie Godbold, Ryan Fuller, Connor Balment, Macauley Rodgers.
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