MARKETMEN BEAT LOCAL RIVALS BURY TOWN

Needham Market recorded a second straight win in the Southern League Central Premier Division, with a 4-2 win over fellow Suffolk side Bury Town.

Tom Rothery made 1 change to Saturday's 3-0 home win over Stourbridge, an injury in the warm up forced Seth Chambers out, with Ryan Miles starting.

In truth the Marketmen dominated the first half, with Dan Morphew's header an early corner giving the hosts a worthy advantage.

Joe Neal ruthlessly volleyed a second, with Myles Cowling netting in consecutive games to add a third.

Taylor Parr headed home a consolation shortly before half-time, as Needham went into the break comfortably in front.

Ryan Miles finished off an incisive move for the fourth, though Mikey Davis smashed home a second consolation, moving Needham up from 13th to 11th, 3 points behind 5th placed Real Bedford with 2 games in hand.

Myles Cowling latched onto a loose knockdown on the right-hand side in the fourth minute, but saw his low strike across goal cannon back into play off the inside base of the far post.

Needham broke the deadlock on 8 minutes, after Kyle Hammond's left wing dangerous free-kick was flicked towards goal by Luke Ingram at close range, the Bury defence cleared it off the line at the expense of a corner.

Hammond's pinpoint corner found Dan Morphew free at the far post from close range to tower highest and find the bottom near corner.

Joe Neal (10') meanwhile drove onto the left-hand edge of the box from the wing, only to see his low venomous strike across goal beaten behind by Charlie Beckwith.

Joe Neal had a fierce strike from just outside the box blocked on 16 minutes.

Needham remained on top, deservedly doubling their lead in stunning fashion on 19 minutes. Ryan Jolland's pass not far outside his own area was intercepted by Neal, who fed Miles, who in turn found Cowling whose ferocious strike towards the bottom right-hand corner was beaten wide by Beckwith. The corner in picked out Neal free at the far post to rifle home an outrageous volley into the bottom right-hand corner.

Hammond (28') saw a 30-yard free-kick held by Beckwith, while Needham quickly added a third on 29 minutes.

Myles Cowling exploited space on the left-hand side to smash home his second goal in as many games off the underside of the crossbar.

Bury pulled a goal back on 42 minutes, Taylor Parr met Mikey Davis' right wing free-kick at the back post to find the top near corner, despite the best efforts of James Bradbrook, as Needham led 3-1 at the break.

After the restart, Ryan Miles (57') added a fourth for Needham. Myles Cowling picked up possession after George Quantrell lost the ball, slipping Miles through on the left-hand side to cooly find the bottom far corner.

Jake Dye replaced Cowling, before Mikey Davis (59') quickly reduced the deficit back to 2 goals, finding space on the left-hand side to fire home into the roof of the net.

The second half continued to be a frantic affair, unlike the first which Needham controlled.

Max Maughn's 67th minute right wing cross was well claimed by Bradbrook at his near post, prior to Reggie Lambe replacing Miles.

At the other end however, Neal snuck forward onto a defensive mix-up before holding up possession cleverly, drawing Beckwith well off his line, to tee up the arriving Ingram whose shot went wide on 72 minutes.

Jackson Nsofor replaced Neal, while Ollie Saunders blocked Maughn's 82nd minute close range shot after darting into the area with Tommy Smith on hand to mop up, conceding a corner from the loose ball.

Barker replaced Hammond, as Reggie Lambe (85') saw a strike on the edge of the box blocked as far as Jackson Nsofor, on the right-hand side, who fired agonisingly just over.

Needham had the chance to add a fifth from the penalty spot on 87 minutes, after Ingram was fouled by White (87'), Beckwith was equal to the winger's effort - low to his right-hand side to beat it away.

Assistant Manager Nathan Munson said, "4-2 in the end and I think really we're good value for the three points today. We started really quickly which is the same as Saturday and something that we've really been after to be quickly out of the blocks. We were that today certainly and by half an hour I think it was 3-0 and then you think you're going to go on a bit like Saturday and it perhaps didn't from then on in but I thought we played some fantastic football again first half and sort of passed them to death really. We're a good side. We know the ability we've got in the changing room and it is a real squad this year. We're able to rotate and bring players in and there's no drop in the quality of the players. You know, that's where the football club are at and I feel when of course we're 3-0 up, it's comfortable but they scored from probably their only moment in the half. Good ball in, good header and then they're 3-1 and they're going back into the changing room thinking, do you know what, if we can nick another one it gets nervy and it was a bit more frantic second half. We scored the fourth and we thought that had probably drawn the steam from them but they went down the other end and scored immediately and then I think after that they probably had their best spell of the game actually.

"It got a little bit, the game got a bit stretched. They put some good balls in, they made one or two changes. They gave it a real go for that 20-odd minute period and we were able to see it out which was pleasing really and in the end actually we could have scored the penalty, we could have got another one or two but really pleased with the three points coming off the back of Saturday."

Munson also expressed his delight at how the team have been taking their chances over the last three home games, "we've been clinical since Western Super Mare when lots of people are saying we don't score enough. Well, I didn't think that was the case at the time frankly but since then, I don't know if you can level at this now, we've gone five, we've gone three, we've gone four so we've scored lots of goals but it's only half the game.

"You've got to stop them scoring and score. You get the same points for one nil as you do for four-two don't you so it's about getting that balance.

"When you're three up and a half hour in you sort of have visions of it five or six, but football never ends up like that. They were going to have a spell and they scored from probably their only moment in the first half, but they had spells second half and we had to defend. They had shots and the sort of things were flying around the box so whilst we're disappointed we understand that that's football and we'd have rather kept a clean sheet, but the most important stat is always that you win the game and you get the points.

Asked if he felt a shift of momentum, he replied, "yeah, I think so. We've had three wins on the bounce, that helps, that builds momentum.

"We're sort of after that now, we've had some good matches and then we followed up with some disappointing games or draws when we thought we should have won. Well, we've had six points puts us up in the league table, but that puts us in the middle and not far off the play-offs with games in hand so that's the sort of position that we want to find ourselves in.

"We've got a really tough game Saturday against Kettering, very, very difficult, but we are high on confidence at the minute and we go there with a lot of belief. Like I said, we've got a really strong squad so everybody will be fighting to be in the starting line-up and it's some nice decisions, difficult decisions for Tom to make on who's going to be in there starting 11.

"I think the point at the end of the season is really when you want to be in there. We're reasonably well positioned at the minute, we've played fewer games because of the Cup exploits so that's, it's so tight, I mean if you look at the league table there's like about three points that separates maybe eight clubs, you want to be in and around it. I think if we carry on playing like that, it was another night where we played some fantastic football, we really looked after the football well and you look through the goals, I think the first one was good, the way we attacked the corner and Dan got the header was excellent, the second one again from a corner so we're carrying the threat from set pieces, that's a brilliant finish from Joe.

"The last few weeks especially we've been carrying a real threat from open play as well, Milo's got the third really good finish and I'm really pleased because Ryan worked so hard and it was a really calm finish for the fourth. So to be carrying a threat in open play and carrying a threat from set pieces as well was really nice. So there's lots to be pleased about and really happy that there's such a big crowd there tonight that we're able to see that performance which we think was a good one and to beat the local rivals, hopefully the Needham fans have gone home happy.

"Also nice that the stands have been open, we've got a big crowd and we've put on a performance that does it a bit of justice because there's so many volunteers that have worked so hard at this football club and do so much for it to turn it into what is now a fantastic facility, a fantastic stadium and pitch. We recognise that and we wanted to give something back and I think we did tonight."

Goalscorer Dan Morphew said, "it's always nice, especially for the fans, to be winning the local derbies. Unfortunately we didn't in the last one, so it's good to put that right. We should have done the last one, so definitely good to put it right tonight with a good performance and a good result, I think, by and large."

On breaking the deadlock early on, "yeah, fortunately. I feel like I should have scored quite a few goals this season. I've not actually put one away yet, so I've had quite a few headers and chances that have somehow hit elbows, knees, posts and not gone in. So, yeah, it's nice to finally put it in today. Like I say, I feel like I should have maybe been on four or five already. I'm only on one. So nice to get it over the line at least.

"I think the last two games we've been really aggressive on the front foot. The first half an hour, we've sort of blown both teams away a little bit, which is good. It's good to start the game that way, and we've managed it well, I think, from there onwards. I think we're disappointed today to concede the two goals, definitely from a defensive point of view. I think they're two avoidable goals. So, I think we'll look at that and maybe be a bit disappointed with that, but hopefully put it right coming Saturday.

"I don't think you can ever afford to concede goals.

I think, as a team, the last sort of, I don't know, decade or so, we've prided ourselves on having a pretty good defence. That's sort of been our mainstay, with Keiran anchoring that at the back there as captain. I think we pride ourselves on being good defensively and keeping clean sheets.

I think we're always disappointed, regardless of the game, regardless of the opponent, to concede goals. I think the derby is more so, you know, you want to be clinical up front and you want to be solid at the back. You don't want to give them a sniff, really.

I'd say I can't afford to give anyone any goals as a defender.

"Back-to-back wins and look to get another three points on the board on Saturday. I'm sure it'll be a tough game. Every away game in this league is pretty tough and Kettering have done well the last couple of years. So, yeah, we'll have to be on our best to get three points there, if we want to, on Saturday."