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LATE DRAMA AT BLOOMFIELDS AS MARKETMEN PROGRESS INTO NEXT ROUND

Needham Market struck 3 times in second half stoppage time to overturn a 2-0 half-time deficit at home to lower league Bury Town to advance to the Second Round of the Endeavour Automotive Suffolk Premier Cup.


Two red cards, after second yellow cards to both Bury goalkeeper Danny Cullum, on loan from Ipswich Town and ex-Needham Academy graduate Jose Santa De La Paz added to the drama, as four second half Needham goals, all from the club's Academy graduates, overturned goals from ex-Marketmen Luke Brown and Santa. Callum Page, Jake Dye and super substitute Seth Chambers (brace) bagging the goals to ensure the holders set up a trip to Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League Premier Division side Long Melford in September.


Kevin Horlock's side made one change to Saturday's defeat to Stratford Town as Jacob Lay dropped to the bench in place of Callum Page for the visit of the Isthmian North side, who are one of only two clubs to have won the competition four times in a row.


While the first half proved to be disappointing from the hosts' perspective, the second half saw the home side open their home competitive campaign on an immaculate Bloomfields pitch - and also their first outing in their new Red and White kit - in clinical style, taking advantage of the twelve added minutes to run out victorious in a game of two halves.


The Marketmen though had the first chance after 4 minutes, in half that belonged to the visitors. Clever play from Luke Ingram saw the winger nutmeg O'Malley in the process of threading Dylan Williams into space onto the right-hand byline, inside the box, whose low dangerous cross in was put behind for a corner by Yun at the near post.


Keiran Morphew met the resulting corner, but could only head it just wide at the back post.

Bury however broke the deadlock courtesy of a Luke Brown free-kick two minutes later, the striker whipping the 30-yard set-piece into the roof of the net, from the right-hand side, to give Cole Skuse's side the lead, 1-0 Bury.


Bury then forced a good stop from Marcus Garnham after 11 minutes, Henman-Mason was fed into space on the right-hand side, 30-yards out from Garnham's goal, whose low strike across goal was well held by the Needham shot-stopper.


At the other end a minute later, Luke Ingram found space to shoot, on the right-hand side from 30-yards, out but his fierce shot was well held by Cullum at his near post.


Jake Dye then exploited space on the right-hand side, only for his 35-yard strike to go over the bar on 17 minutes, while seven minutes later the full-back then fed Ingram, whose neat flick on released Reece Harris onto the right-hand side of the box whose low ball squared across on a plate saw Tevan Allen's low finish towards the near post cleared away by Yun into Cullum's gloves.


Bury meanwhile capitalised on a defensive mistake to go 2-0 up on 27 minutes, Jose Santa De La Paz pounced to tap in low into an empty net from distance.


Dylan Williams then saw a far post close range header blocked following a left wing Tommy Smith cross on 32 minutes, with Kyle Hammond's ferocious strike, from the right-hand edge of the box flying just wide of the bottom far corner from the loose ball.


Ollie Sims then curled over the top near, right-hand, corner from the edge of the box for Bury on 35 minutes, before Tommy Smith's overlapping cross-shot, from the left-hand side of the box, was well held by Cullum, creeping underneath his crossbar at the back post five minutes later.


Reece Harris on the other hand curled a 30-yard freekick narrowly over the top right-hand, near, corner, in the 2nd minute of first half stoppage time, while Santa saw a low shot beaten just wide by Garnham at his bottom left-hand corner a minute later.


After the restart, Needham responded to the half-time deficit with a great right wing cross finding Ingram unmarked in the centre, whose header went narrowly over on 47 minutes.


Bury meanwhile were reduced to ten men a minute later, as goalkeeper Danny Cullum slid out off his box only to take out Ingram out on the left wing for a second yellow card, forcing Ethan Mayhew to take over in the sticks for Skuse's side.


Needham, galvanised by the man advantage and half-time team talk, went close on 52 minutes as Tommy Smith's audacious low cross wrapped round the defence, across the six yard box, just evaded the sliding Luke Ingram for an almost certain tap in.


Horlock's side though did pull a goal back on 58 minutes, Kyle Hammond's right wing cross drew Mayhew off his line to punch the ball only as far as Callum Page whose half volley nestled into the bottom left-hand corner, from around 10-yards out to make it 1-2.


Instantly after, Needham made a change as Jacob Lay replaced Reece Harris, while Hammond's right wing corner nine minutes later was headed a centimetre wide of the far post by the unmarked Keiran Morphew from close range.


Needham's second change then saw another Academy graduate, who notably scored the winner over Felixstowe in pre-season, make their First Team competitive debut in James Letts, who replaced Dylan Williams after 68 minutes.


Bury were then reduced to 9 men on 73 minutes as Jose Santa was dismissed for a second yellow card, while at the other end Ingram was denied by a good save by Mayhew on 76 minutes. The winger lifting a great dipping strike towards the bottom left-hand corner, which Mayhew got across well to hold onto.


Academy graduate Seth Chambers then replaced captain Keiran Morphew on 82 minutes, which saw Kyle Hammond move into centre-back. A minute later Callum Page fed Tevan Allen into acres of space onto the edge of the box whose powerful strike went a centimetre wide of the bottom right-hand corner.


Down the other end, a crucial near post save from Marcus Garnham thwarted a Bury third on 87 minutes, after a Bury player was slotted into space down the right-hand side Garnham was on hand to dive down and instinctively beat the shot behind.


Needham then broke up the other end a minute later, as James Letts' low shot, first time on the edge of the box, was just held by Mayhew.


Twelve minutes of added time was then announced, just as a right wing cross was headed off the line at the far post with Smith lurking for a certain equaliser, while Letts fired a centimetre wide of the bottom right-hand corner.


The Marketmen were dominant by this point, as Ingram's shot a minute later was hit straight at Mayhew.


Two quickfire goals swiftly turned the tie on it's head in the 93rd minute, Callum Page's sumptuous pinpoint left wing corner saw Jake Dye leap unmarked at the far post from close range to bullet head home into the top right-hand corner, 2-2.


A minute later, the home side were in front as Callum Page's strike cannoned back out off the front base of the left-hand post, while the forward then threaded substitute Seth Chambers into space onto the left-hand side of the box who cooly smashed home on the turn, ice cold, into the bottom right-hand corner, 3-2 Needham.


In a role reversal it was almost 4-2 on 97 minutes, a great long low through-ball threaded Chambers into space, the forward then teed up fellow goalscorer Page arriving at the, far, left-hand side of the box who shot just a centimetre wide of the far right-hand corner.


A well worked goal, made in the club's Academy - with all four goalscorers from Needham's academy - wrapped up Needham's passage through to the second round in the tenth added minute. James Letts drove down the left wing in space before slotting Chambers into space down the near side of the box to cooly smash home into the bottom far corner, for his second of the night, making it 4-2 to Needham.


Needham open their home league campaign at home to Halesowen on Saturday (3pm).



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