27th August 2022
Mildenhall Town vs Fakenham Town @ The Riverside Stadium - Mildenhall
Thurlow Nunn Premier Division (Step 5)
15:00 KO
£9 entry
Attendance - 154
Half-time score: Mildenhall Town 0-0 Fakenham Town
Goal:
Mildenhall Town: Twinn - 49'
Final Score: Mildenhall Town 1-0 Fakenham Town
Having done quite a bit of travelling over the last couple of weeks I decided to go for a more local game this Saturday, and with a Sausage & Cider festival on, the choice was easy so I made my way down the A11 to watch Mildenhall Town. Mildenhall have been in the process of re-building the squad this season, but despite this, new player-manager Phil Weavers has put together a strong squad with notable signings including Taylor Hastings and Kieran Twinn, and the team has gelled quickly securing a string of impressive results to be on 7-points from 3 games in the league (including a 5-1 away win at Walsham-le-Willows), and to get to the First Qualification Round of the FA Cup to play Step 3 Brightlingsea Regent, having beaten a good Histon side last weekend.
I ordered by hot dog first, a jumbo Musk Newmarket sausage with onions and ketchup and as a fan of black pepper, it was lush.
I washed this down with two half-pints of cider, Burnard's Thirsty as Fox, a nice still medium sweet cider, and something a bit more unusual with Celtic Marches Tutti Frutti, not bad for a sweet cider, helped by the fact it was also still. I could easily have tried a lot more of the ciders on offer, and I certainly would have done if I were not driving, but I do think having this kind of thing on at the football is a great idea, and something I hope to come across again.
I was pleased to see that printed matchday programmes are still a thing at The Hall, was Barnes Print again using a similar cover style to the Thetford Town programmes, with some really good content inside for only £1.
Mildenhall came out in their traditional amber and black, whilst Fakenham were in their away kits which looked quite unusual, imagine a white shite with a red bib over the top.
KEY MOMENTS
MT = Mildenhall Town
FT = Fakenham Town
3' - FT - Jack Robinson strikes the ball well from the edge of the area, forcing a diving save from Pope who pushes the ball out for a corner.
4' - FT - Wright fires in a powerful shot from outside the area, forcing another diving save from Pope, this time the ball is cleared away.
6' - MT - Twinn attacks down the left flank and sends in a cross, it falls to Gibbs at the far post who hits a close range strike, but keeper Coombe was positioned well to block the shot.
8' - MT - A Gibbs free-kick from just outside the area is struck sweetly and it has the beating of the keeper, but it slams into the middle of the far post and back out.
10' - FT - An attack down the left wing ends up with Whiteley striking from the left-hand corner of the box, forcing yet another diving save from Pope to push the ball out for another corner.
18' - FT - Captain Guyton plays in Royle, whose strike from the left-hand side of the box flashes across the goal, narrowly wide.
23' - MT - Mildenhall win another free-kick in a dangerous position, and it is Gibbs who steps up to take it again. His 20-yard effort is again hit superbly, but keeper Coombe manages to get a fingertip to the ball to tip it up onto the crossbar and out, the keepers seemed to be on exceptional form this afternoon.
33' - MT - Coakley intercepts the ball, launching it up field to Capel, who heads down to Tanner Call to release him, but his under-pressure shot is saved.
39' - FT - Fakenham manage to release Whiteley through on goal, but his shot goes wide of the far-post - big let off for Mildenhall.
49' - MT - GOAL (1-0) - A pinpoint cross from Coakley is swung in from the left wing and it is met by Twinn in the centre of the box who volleys in from close range to break the deadlock shortly after half-time.
69' - MT - Substitute Tommy Robinson bursts through down the left-hand byline and into the box, his low ball across the goal misses everyone, but the ball is quickly recycled and ends up with Gibbs, who from an inviting range at the edge of the box fires in a shot, but Coombe is again equal to the effort.
79' - MT - Cartner powers in a shot from the edge of the area, it is intercepted by Tanner Call, who turns and fires in a shot from close range, but it flies into the crossbar and harmlessly out.
90' - FT - Pressing for a late equaliser, substitutes Kerr and Frostick link-up well, with the latter sliding in a ball to put Jack Robinson through inside the box, but from nowhere, Miles Smith slides in to make an important challenge at a crucial moment in the game, securing all 3-points from Mildenhall, still unbeaten in the league this season.
Overall, that was a really enjoyable afternoon with the sausage and cider festival and a competitive game of football. The score would have been a lot higher if it were not for a string of fantastic saves from both keepers. The first half, with Fakenham shooting downhill, was overall fairly even, although Fakenham came out of the traps quickly and were unlucky not to score. In the second half, Mildenhall looked the more comfortable side, and closed out the game fairly easily other than the late scare in the 90th minute. The win takes Mildenhall's tally up to 10 points, and up 3rd in the table with games in-hand. Fakenham looked a very solid and organised side, much like last season when I saw them, and I was impressed with forward Jack Robinson who looks a handful, I'm sure results will start coming their way soon. Finally, I just want to say thanks to the people who organised the festival, was a great idea and I for one certainly enjoyed it a lot. I will be back at some point this season, so I wish The Hall all the best in the meantime.
Line-Ups:
MILDENHALL TOWN: Josh Pope (C), Darryl Coakley, Miles Smith, Taylor Hastings, Adam Capel, Ryan Gibbs, Harvey Halgarth, Tanner Call, Kieran Twinn, Casey Underwood, Tatum Cartner. SUBS: Phil Weavers, Aaron Hamer, Ben Barlow, Tommy Robinson, George Bugg.
FAKENHAM TOWN: Tom Coombe, Ben Terry, Cameron Beazer, Dan Hogston, Myron Abodunde, Jayden Wright, Mitch Rasberry, Jack Guyton (C), Charlie Royle, Jack Robinson, Finley Whiteley. SUBS: Jude Frostick, Kyle Cushing-Meehan, Tjay Kerr.
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