All three of our senior sides in action this week progressed through to Round Three of the Norfolk Senior Cup.
On Wednesday evening, Downham Town thrashed Wells Town 9-0 and Heacham triumphed 1-0 at Dussindale & Hellesdon Rovers, while Fakenham Town were victorious at home to Great Yarmouth Town on Tuesday evening, also 1-0.
Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League Premier Division outfit Downham gave debuts to two of their Under-16 squad as they entertained an Anglian Combination Division One side four places below them in the non-league pyramid.
Downham led 2-0 at the break but hit seven more in a rampant second half. Goals came from former Heacham striker Fletcher Toll (3), Joseph Jackson (2), Artur Visocanskis (2), Eoin McQuaid and James Moore.
Fellow Premier Division sides Heacham and Fakenham both faced First Division North opposition, with one goal enough to put the Magpies through.
Fakenham also only needed the one goal – but the final scoreline should have been much more.
Jake Watts had two shots saved in the opening five minutes, and in the 26th minute the same player and captain Jack Guyton failed to get on to a rebound after Bloaters keeper Reuben Lane spilled a shot from Jude Frostick.
Two minutes later and Lane made a double save from Watts and Frostick, before Watts finally scored the game’s only goal after half-an-hour, burying his effort when through one-on-one with the Yarmouth stopper.
The Ghosts hit the crossbar twice before the break and continued the onslaught in the second half, Alex Rodway-Brown’s shot flying over and Frostick denied again by Lane.
Home keeper Luke Pearson was finally called into action on the hour and made a great save from Louis Duffield seven yards out, and the visitors nearly claimed an undeserved equaliser four minutes into stoppage time but saw an effort ruled out for offside.
On Saturday, seventh-place Downham Town entertain fifth-place Norfolk neighbours Thetford Town in the Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League Premier Division and leaders Newmarket Town are the visitors to ninth-place Fakenham Town.
Fifteenth-place Heacham are at home to 14th-place Brantham Athletic and Swaffham Town travel to play Anglian Combination outfit Long Stratton in the Norfolk Senior Cup, a clash that was postponed last Saturday because of a waterlogged pitch.
