Downham Town and Heacham both won their league fixtures this afternoon, while Fakenham Town held their nerve from the spot to progress in the FA Vase.

Town were 2-1 victors against Brantham Athletic in the Isthmian League North clash at the Memorial Field, while The Magpies registered their first victory of the campaign after defeating Yarmouth Town by the same scoreline and The Ghosts triumphed from the spot following a goalless draw at league rivals Ely City.

Downham Town picked up a vital success in an early six-pointer against Brantham Athletic towards the bottom end of the table.

Charlie Royle scored a brace for Downham Town in a 2-1 win against Brantham Athletic at the Memorial Field this afternoon.
Charlie Royle scored a brace for Downham Town in a 2-1 win against Brantham Athletic at the Memorial Field this afternoon.

Teddy Stacey fired the visitors in front from the penalty spot 12 minutes into the second half, before two goals from Charlie Royle sealed the three points for the home side.

Brantham Athletic just about shaded the first half, but a serious injury to Lachlan Haines overshadowed the game as the visiting player was stretchered off towards the end of the first 45 minutes.

A handball in the penalty area allowed Stacey to put the visitors ahead from the spot and another long afternoon looked on the cards for Dale Stokes’ side.

But three minutes later, they were back on level terms as Royle capitalised on some decisiveness at the back from the Suffolk outfit.

The winning goal arrived ten minutes later as Krisztian Gagyi played in Royle for his second of the afternoon.

The win lifts Downham to 13th in the league standings ahead of a trip to 11th-placed Heybridge Swifts next Saturday.

Over at Station Road, goals from Tom Beattie and Jake Poore gave Heacham a two-goal cushion in their clash against the Bloaters.

Zak Cook pulled a goal back with an excellent strike from 20 yards, but Paul Hunt’s side deservedly held on to take the points.

Next weekend, The Magpies travel to eighth-placed Haverhill Rovers.

In the FA Vase, a tight affair between fellow Thurlow Nunn Premier Division sides Ely City and Fakenham Town ended goalless.

But Andy Cunningham’s side sealed their passage through to the next stage by winning 7-6 in a dramatic shoot-out from the penalty spot.

Next weekend, the Ghosts travel to league leaders Thetford Town in the Thurlow Nunn Premier.

Downham Town: Briggs. Moxon (Bird), Gagyi, N. Castellan, Gould, M. Castellan, Visocanskis, White, Royle, McQuaid (Kaykusuz), Sivakumar.

Heacham: Oughton, Wood, Prentice, Robinson, Hutton, Poore, Anderson, Hunt, Hilliard, Beattie, Smith. Subs: Easton, Willmott. Pightling, Wright, Forde