PERFECT AFTERNOON FOR THE MARKETMEN

Needham Market picked up a second straight win, leapfrogging Halesowen Town into sixth following a 3-0 home win.

The result leaves the Marketmen outside the playoffs on goal difference, courtesy of a Kyle Hammond brace, taking the versatile defender/midfielder's tally to 3 goals in 2 games, either side of Joe Neal's poachers finish to give the Suffolk side a 2-0 lead at the break. 

Tom Rothery made two changes from the home win over AFC Sudbury, Ollie Saunders and Myles Cowling returned to the starting eleven, with Eddie Barker replacing Fabian Claxton on the bench, and Max Appauh and Seth Chambers dropping to the substitutes bench. 

A fast start from the home side saw Cowling swiftly into the action, the attacking midfielder looked to thread Ingram clear on goal but his through-ball inside 18 seconds was intercepted. Ingram regained possession, but also saw his insightful pass cut out.

Kyle Hammond (2') broke the deadlock in style from the following 30-yard set-piece, curling home expertly into the top near, left-hand, corner - taking his tally to five league goals for the campaign.

James Bradbrook (5') held onto Fin Holmes' close range strike following Jason Cowley's low wrapped effort across goal, while Needham went close 3 minutes later.

Hammond fed Ingram free on the right wing, whose pinpoint delivery saw Myles Cowling thwarted by the underside of the crossbar.

The goalscorer turned provider (13'), Hammond's brilliant challenge saw the defender exploit space to drive into, feeding Ingram on the right whose fiercely driven low cross was crucially palmed away by Norwich City loanee Dylan Berry and cleared by Ben Cassidy.

James Bradbrook (14') expertly claimed a dangerous corner, as Halesowen (17') fired over.

Excellent defending from the Marketmen (18') saw Tommy Smith block Cassidy's strike, as Dye cut the following attempted cutback behind for a corner.

Cowling (21') headed narrowly over from a great Hammond right wing cross at the far post, as Ingram (24') latched onto a great long ball with excellent control to feed Joe Neal, who was denied a clear shot at goal by Jak Hickman's intervention for a corner.

The Marketmen remained the better side (29'), Hammond's left wing corner - after Cowling had broken onto the left-hand byline, forcing Smile to turn it behind for a corner - found Keiran Morphew towering at the far post whose header across was narrowly off target, although Hammond's low follow up effort was held by Berry at his near post.

Tom Rothery's side deservedly doubled their lead on 32 minutes, Reggie Lambe fed Ingram to fire low at goal from 25-yards out, forcing Berry to parry out as far as the lurking Joe Neal to round the stopper and tap into the empty net for his 9th league goal of the season.

Cowling (36') curled a brilliant strike just wide of the far, right-hand, post with Berry rooted, ahead of a 2-0 interval lead for the Reds.

Jason Cowley (46') looked to test Bradbrook straight after the restart, weaving into space from 25-yards only to fire comfortably at the home stopper.

The Yeltz however were reduced to ten men with just under half-hour to play, after Kyle Finn was dismissed for dissent.

Bradbrook meanwhile held onto Cowley's (64') strike from the edge of the box, prior to Needham (67') seeing a shot blocked after Berry misjudged a corner.

Another excellent finish from Hammond (69') added a third for Needham, and the defender's second of the afternoon, smashing home his 6th goal of the league season into the bottom right-hand corner.

An important save from Berry prevented Cowling from adding a fourth (74'), Lambe expertly fed the midfielder to skip past two defenders on the edge of the box to thump a great strike towards the top left-hand corner, which Berry reacted well to beat away.

Halesowen (77') fired over from distance, as Berry denied the offside Lambe (78') at the other end, ahead of Bradbrook (81') holding onto a low shot across to his left-hand side.

Appauh (85') then darted through onto the right-hand side, but fired his shot wide, as Bradbrook (92') held onto another low strike from the Yeltz to preserve his clean sheet.

Substitute Eddie Barker (96') fired just wide of the bottom far corner, as Needham recorded a comfortable 3-0 home victory.

Needham travel to Leiston in the Quarter-Finals Suffolk Premier Cup on Tuesday (7:45pm).