Pre-Season Friendlies 2009

Match Reports

NMFC 2 - Romford 0

Needhams new signing Angelo Harrup started his first game for the club against late arriving Ryman League North side Romford.The first 20 minutes was all Needham without bringing the visitors keeper in to action.The best chance fell to DANNY PHILLIPS when he fired across goal in the 28th minute when through on goal before he made amends 7 minutes later when he finished off a fine move involving Thrower and Smith.Romford wasted an opportunity from a free kick 28 yards out 4 minutes before the break and Smith could have added a second when heading wide right on half time from a Harrup free kick.

Half-Time NEEDHAM MARKET 1 ROMFORD 0

The 2nd half took the same shape as the first with Needham on top but Romfords keeper not being drawn into action until the 53rd minute when following a move involving Phillips and Thrower,Smith’s close range header was blocked by the keepers legs and JAMES EVANS followed up to fire home.Needham continued on top in all departments but couldn’t convert any more of their chances the best of them being Throwers run through on goal which was ended by the keepers legs.Romford’s only real chance of the game was cleared off the line by Barber in the 81st minute.

Full-Time NEEDHAM MARKET 2 ROMFORD 0

Halstead Town 0 - NMFC 0

Needham Market placed early pressure on hosts Halstead Town and after an Evans cross Buckle fired over in the 16th minute.Harrop fired over from the edge of the box after good work by Horlock and Thrower 2 minutes later and the same player volleyed wide in the 19th minute as Needham stayed on top.Jones in the Needham goal dealt easily with a shot from Joslin in the 22nd minute.

Both sides then had a number of corners but failed to bring either keeper in to action.Needham should have taken the lead in the 34th minute when Smith fired straight at keeper Wooten when well placed.Smy had the ball in the net 2 minutes before the break but was ruled offside.

H/T Halstead Town 0 Needham Market 0

Butler replaced Pemberton at the break before Dixon replaced Evans 10 minutes later.Chances were few and far between as both sides attacks broke down in the final third.Barber could have scored if making contact with a Smy cross in the 65th minute.Agricole replaced Smy in the 69th minute and Buckle made way for Canfer for the last 9 minutes.

F/T Halstead Town 0 Needham Market 0

Bury Town 0 - NMFC 1

Needham Market started briskly with a sweet move involving Smith, Thrower and Phillips which ended with Pemberton firing wide.

Tidswell fired over from 16 yards in the 3rd minute.

Lee Reed should have done better with a free header from a Bury corner in the 11th minute but headed straight at Jones in the Needham goal.

Garnham and Johnson had to scramble the ball away for a corner when Phillips got on the end of a move featuring Pemberton and Harrop 2 minutes later and from the resultant corner Needham had a couple of half chances but failed to pull the trigger.

Harrop was involved again in the 23rd minute when after combining with Agricole, Thrower fired over from distance as Needham started to get on top. Needham took a deserved lead in the 26th minute when Garnhams poor kick was picked up by Pemberton who fed Smith to slip DANNY PHILLIPS in on goal and he made no mistake and slid the ball past the Bury keeper.

Lee Reed’s run and shot 6 minutes later failed to draw Jones into action and Throwers cross was just too high for Phillips in the 34th minute.

Gavin Johnson had to be spoken to by the referee after a thigh high foul on Phillips in the 42nd minute and Steward soon followed suit with a late challenge on Thrower which gained him entry in to Referee Beavor’s book.

H/T BURY TOWN 0 NEEDHAM MARKET 1

Horlock replaced Harrop for the second half and Kelly replaced Kearns in the 50th minute for Bury.

Chances were few and far between as both defences stayed on top with probably the best chance falling to L.Reed.

Bury introduced Nurse and S.Reed instead of Tidswell and L.Reed to see if they could get the better of Barber and Butler which the other 2 strikers are failed to do in the 63rd minute.

Nurse fired over from 14 yards two minutes later with Wade replacing Phillips in the 69th minute.

Throwers 30 yard effort was easily dealt with by Garnham in the 72nd minute before Coker followed Steward in to the ref’s book 2 minutes later for dissent.

Pemberton joined them both in the book for a late tackle on S.Reed in the 76th minute as Canfer replaced Boyland with 12 minutes to play.

Canfer was soon involved with a run and shot across goal before Bury made their final substitutions with Steed and Greygoose replacing Steward and Garnham with 8 minutes to play.

S.Reed was fortunate not to be booked after a nasty foul on Thrower as Needham saw the game out with Bury failing to break down Barber, Butler and their full backs.

A very good Needham performance with another clean sheet in their last friendly and hopefully they carry that form in to next week’s League opener at Ely.

Needham seem to have an Indian sign over Bury and hopefully the next time they will meet will be at Portman Road in the Premier Cup final.

F/T BURY TOWN 0 NEEDHAM MARKET 1

Pre-Season Friendlies 2010

Match Reports

Kings Lynn 3 - Needham Market 2

Both sides had good chances in the first two minutes with Cubberly failing to test Croll when through on goal within the first minute and then A.Street denying N.Stone a minute later at the other end.The game then settled down into a competitive affair but there were few chances in the next twenty minutes as both defences stayed on top.Doherty should have done better after 24 minutes and Wilby’s effort from R.Barber’s free kick was easily dealt with by A.street four minutes later.Needham took the lead after 36 minutes when Parker’s blocked effort fell to NATHAN STONE wide of the goal about 10 yards out and his turn and lob back across goal found the top corner.N.Stone had another chance from a Wake long ball but failed to test A.Street in the Lynn goal.Both sides were looking for their front men very quickly as neither side took control of the midfield.The last action of the half was a long range L.Thurlbourne shot easily dealt with by Croll in the Needham goal.

H/T KINGS LYNN 0 NEEDHAM MARKET 1

Lynn took control of the midfield in the second half and although causing the Needham defence problems couldn’t break them down until the 61st minute when an offside J.Defty drew the Needham defence out of position and his cross fell at the feet of LUKE THURLBOURNE who converted from an acute angle.Lynn took the lead four minutes later when JACK DEFTY drifted in between R.Barber and Wake to head down and home a Harris cross.

NATHAN STONE should have brought A.Street in to action with a header from a Sparkes cross after 69 minutes but made amends four minutes later when he collected a Wake long ball and slotted home from 12 yards.Lynn were looking the more likely of the teams to score the winner but B.Street,Harris and J.Defty failed to call Croll in to action.They did get the winner in the 82nd minute when KYLE PLUMB converted a J.Thurlbourne corner from within the six yard box.

F/T KINGS LYNN 3 NEEDHAM MARKET 2

Thetford 1 - Needham Market 2

Dixon had the first chance of the match for Thetford but headed over after 14 minute but Needham took the lead a minute later with a DARREN BETHELL 20 yarder.

CRAIG PARKER soon doubled the lead after 16 minutes with a shot from 25 yards.R.Barber,Wilby and Parker all had chances but an entertaining first half drew to a close with no further goals.Thetford pulled a goal back after 51 minutes and they looked the more likely to score in a dissapointing second period.

Danny Gay marked his first match of the season with some good saves from a lively Thetford number 15. 

Needham Market 7 - Kirkley & Pakefield 1

It was Needham Market who had the early chances with Parker finding the side netting after a well worked free kick in the 7th minute and Bethell’s two efforts in the 12th and 13th minutes being dealt with by Attridge.Kirkley looked to have taken the lead just after 16th minute but B.Barber cleared off the line.Needham broke the deadlock a minute when Parker sent NATHAN STONE through to coolly beat the advancing Attridge.CRAIG PARKER doubled the lead after 22 minutes when his free kick was deflected past Attridge and R.Barber could have added a third three minutes later but his header from a Fuller cross was straight at Attridge.The third goal did arrive in the 29th minute when JAMES EVANS capitalised on a defensive error to score.CRAIG PARKER was giving too much time and space to shoot and score from the edge of the box on 37 minutes before De Coteau turned a Parker cross in to his own net five minutes before the break.

H/T NEEDHAM MARKET 5 KIRKLEY & PAKEFIELD 0

Wake and Wilkinson replaced Horlock and Fuller at the break.Needham started the second half as they had finished the first and the very lively CRAIG PARKER completed his hat trick two minutes in to the half when he converted an Evans pull back.Kirkley pulled a goal back through GRINT a minute later but it was still all Needham and Attridge had to block Stone after 56 minutes after collecting an Evans pass.Sparkes replaced Bethell after 57 minutes and his pass two minutes later put Parker in on goal but Attridge again denied the Needham midfielder his fourth goal.Van Trapp replaced Clarke for Kirkley on the hour which started a spate of substitutions with Miller replacing Parker two minutes later and Mckenna was replaced for Kirkley after 64 minutes.Attridge denied Stone again after 71 minutes before De Coteau deflected Evans cross in to his own net after 74 minutes. There few chances in the last quarter of the match with Severy replacing Stone after 75 minutes. 

F/T NEEDHAM MARKET 7 KIRKLEY & PAKEFIELD 1

Haverhill Rovers 0 - Needham Market 2

Needham Market were soon on the attack and Thrower drew an early save from the keeper after just 2 minutes.Needham opened the scoring 8 minutes later when a driving run in to the box by Bradley Barber was halted by Hunt unfairly and Parker’s resulting penalty was parried by the keeper in to the path of DARREN BETHELL who fired home.Haverhill then had the better of the play for the rest of the half and created four good chances without drawing Needham Keeper Gay in to action.

H/T HAVERHILL ROVERS 0 NEEDHAM MARKET 1

Wilby replaced Evans at the break as the second half took the same shape as the first half with both defences well on top.Severy and Sparkes replaced Bethell and Bradley Barber after 53 minutes and Wake joined the fray on the hour in place of Newson.Wilkinson replaced Horlock after 75 minutes before Needham put the match out of Haverhill’s reach 4 minutes later when JACK SEVERY collected a superb 40 yard Rhys Barber pass to coolly slot past the advancing keeper.Gay made a fine recovering save with 7 minutes to go after being slow to react to a long Haverhill through ball.The match drew to a close without any further opportunities being created.

F/T HAVERHILL ROVERS 0 NEEDHAM MARKET 2

Soham Town 0 - Needham Market 2

Needham Market had the ball in the net in the first minute when Rhys Barber deflected Evans shot in to the net but the goal was disallowed for offside. With Needham looking the more likely to open the scoring Wake capitalised on a defensive error to pull the ball back for CRAIG PARKER to slot home in the 17th minute. Although Soham were having a lot of possession Needham were still looking the more likely to score and the second goal arrived after 22 minutes when the Soham keeper parried a Thrower shot in to the air and RHYS BARBER headed home from close in.Soham were still having a lion’s share of the play and although Gay in the Needham goal had to make a couple of saves in the 40th and 42nd minutes Needham looked very comfortable at 2-0 up at the break.

H/T SOHAM TOWN 0 NEEDHAM MARKET 2

With Needham well in control in the second half Soham failed to register a shot on goal and Needham should have made it 3-0 after 63 minutes when a superb move involving Parker, Stone and Evans culminated in Bethell firing over when well placed.Sparkes looked to have won a penalty after 64 minutes but the offence was deemed to have started outside of the box and he hit the side netting a minute later.Severy replaced Sparkes a minute later before Bethell ‘s run and shot drifted wide after 72 minutes. Wilkinson replaced Stone after 73 minutes with Coddrington replacing Bethell with 10 minutes to go and the last action was the introduction of Baldwin for Thrower.

F/T SOHAM TOWN 0 NEEDHAM MARKET 2

Needham Market 3 - AFC Stamford 1

Needham Market entertained AFC Stamford in their last friendly before the League campaign starts next Saturday.

Despite the tremendous amount of rain over the last few days the Bloomfield’s pitch looked in superb condition in front of a large number of home supporters introducing their new bright red cushions to their bottoms as they took their seats in the stand.

Needham were soon on the attack and when Evans collected a long Gay ball his run and shot drifted wide of the Stamford goal after just 6 minutes.Bethell went wide after Parkers effort was blocked by the Stamford keeper two minutes later as Stamford started to gain control of the game. They opened the scoring after 14 minutes when Evans gave away a free kick wide left just outside the box and poor positioning and anticipation by keeper Gay allowed Stamford’s number 11 to pass the ball in to the empty net from the resultant free kick. Stamford were in control now but failed to test Gay and it was the keepers long ball again which gave Sparkes an opportunity after 17 minutes but he failed to exert the Stamford keeper. Stamford were running the match through their Middle of midfield pair but Needham drew level in the 34th minute when Stamford’s keeper positioned himself and his wall to allow BRADLEY BARBER to drive his 20 yard free kick through a big hole.

H/T NEEDHAM MARKET 1 AFC STAMFORD 1

Needham could have taken the lead four minutes in to the half when Parker glanced his header wide when well placed from a Bradley Barber free kick. Stamford had two chances in quick succession after 51 minutes but were not bossing the game as they had been in the first half.Needham were starting to get on top and Newson replaced Sparkes on 55 minutes and Evans header failed to test the keeper after 59 minutes from Throwers corner just before the hour. The expected second Needham goal came after 63 minutes when Thrower collected a Rhys Barber pass and breezed past three defenders before feeding CRAIG PARKER to fire home an unstoppable shot from 20 yards. Although Needham were now in command Stamford were still creating chances but without getting the better of the Needham rearguard and Needham introduced Stone for Bethell after 74 minutes who was soon involved and his run and cross was converted from close range by SAM NEWSON five minutes later. Wilkinson was introduced for Bradley Barber with nine minutes to play as Stamford started to show their frustration at not being able to get a foothold back in the game and Needham could have increased their lead if Evans had decided to shoot instead of passing on 84 minutes and Stone could have done better when played in by Thrower a minute later.Coddrington and Severy replaced Thrower and Evans for the last two minutes of a very entertaining match

F/T NEEDHAM MARKET 3 AFC STAMFORD 1

Pre-Season Friendlies 2011