There’s a sprinkle of Magic around the SCL Memorial Field this season and Newmarket Town were the latest recipients as Downham Town came from behind to progress in the FA Vase on Saturday.
Teenager Magic Smalls came off the bench to earn – and score – the penalty to send Downham through to the First Round Proper after another youngster in James Moore had levelled the tie 14 minutes into the second half.
It completed a fine turnaround from Downham and their young-guns who had fallen behind to a Jordan Foster goal in the first half.
On Town’s emergent talent, joint boss Craig Dickson said: “He’s one of those lads that football is everything to him so when he doesn’t perform, even in training, he beats himself up.
“Although you like to have that character it is part of our job is obviously to pick him up and make him believe in himself.
“I think in the last month now he’s got that bit of belief he’s unplayable times. It’s just a joy to watch and to have his ability and the confidence to go and do that against adults is incredible,
“He might be 17, but he’s still he’s still slight, he’s still young and he’s got a lot of growing to do, like physically in order to deal with it and once he does that. I don’t know what level he’ll end up playing at.”
Fellow joint boss Dale Stokes reflected on the strength and depth within the Downham squad this season.
“Obviously we won 2-1, but I don’t really remember us creating a great deal, it was just about having that little bit of extra quality,” he said.
“We had players like Matty Franks, Matty Castellan, Magic and Matty Prudence on the bench so we always knew that no matter how the game was going, we had plenty of options to change it.
“That’s what you want from your subs to come on and and have that impact. I think within the first minute Magic has got the ball and is beating someone and nobody likes people running at them like that do they?
“He’s a massive threat and obviously it’s paid off today winning that penalty and then picking the ball up himself to take it which is a bit of a bit of courage from a 17-year-old.
“You’ve got James who is 16, who is pushing full-grown men around and is not afraid of a scrap whatsover.
“He gave them headaches all day and they had two experienced centre-halves out there, who obviously didn’t shy away from the battle, but they didn’t necessarily like it too much.
“You’ve got side of it where we’ve got a 16-year-old being physical and scoring and Magic, the other side of it, who is not a physical player but he doesn’t need to be for his game.
“Obviously the older he gets you’d imagine he’s going to develop physically as well, but I don’t think that’s going to have a massive influence on his game anyway.
“I think in a way it kind of helps him being that slight because he can wiggle his way out of situations and the way he draws people in and just beats them it’s a benefit being the build he is.”
The only downside for Downham was a serious injury to Matty Blackford after going in for a challenge late in the tie.
Blackford suffered a fracture of his left tibia and is expected to be sidelined for some time.
