Fakenham Town 7 Stowmarket Town 2
Jake Watts and Ethan Flack both hit hat-tricks as Fakenham Town stormed to a fine opening-day win at the Daly Group Stadium.
The Ghosts made a sluggish start against Stowmarket Town, conceding twice inside the first 15 minutes of their Thurlow Nunn Premier Division opener.
But once they shook off the early rust, a ruthless home outfit turned on the style, overwhelming their visitors with pace, movement, and some clinical finishing.
Manager Andy Cunningham was full of praise for the way his players responded after going two goals down.
Cunningham said: “I thought we kept the ball reasonably well early on, but we were too passive and didn’t do much with it.
“We looked a bit ring-rusty, maybe due to missing a pre-season game, but conceding seemed to spark us into life.
“If you’d told me this morning we’d win 7-2 and play like that, I’d have snapped your hand off. A great start to the season.”
2024-25 Golden Boot winner Watts led the home charge, scoring a first-half treble to flip the match on its head before the break.
His opener came as a result of sharp combination play in the final third, something Cunningham highlighted as a key strength of his team.
“Watts’ movement and finishing were excellent,” he said.
“He could have had four in the first half. His header was probably the easiest chance of the lot.”
Flack picked up where his strike partner left off, netting three goals after the interval to complete a rare double hat-trick display.
His tireless work rate and link-up play drew particular praise from his boss.
“Ethan’s appetite is unbelievable,” said Cunningham.
“He’s great on the ball, brings others into play, and even when he lost it once, he tracked back 70 yards to win it back and start another attack.
“He deserved his goals and that will really lift his confidence.”
Lewis Bonner rounded off the scoring with a well-taken goal, capping a breathtaking attacking performance that could have yielded even more.
Stowmarket goalkeeper, Finlay Shorten, produced a string of excellent stops to keep the scoreline respectable and Ghosts’ substitute Jack Robinson could have easily scored a hat-trick himself after coming on for the final 25 minutes.
“We probably should’ve hit double figures,” Cunningham admitted.
“We missed some clear-cut chances, and Shorten pulled off a worldie near the end. But we’ll take seven goals on opening day any time.”
While delighted with his side’s overall showing, Cunningham was disappointed with the two goals conceded.
“We’ve got to tighten up at the back,” he said.
“They were in our box twice and scored twice – that’s something we need to fix. But it’s a great platform to build from.”
The one-sided win also gave Cunningham the chance to rotate his squad, giving valuable minutes to players still returning from injury, including Jack Robinson and Jamie Wright.
“Jack’s been out a while and looked a bit rusty, but he could’ve had three or four,” Cunningham said.
“It was good to be able to rest Ethan and Wattsy and get game time into others.
Looking ahead, the Fakenham boss expects a tough test at Heacham on Tuesday night, describing it as “a small, tight pitch against a well-drilled team.”
He also gave an update on Dylan Coslett, who faces several weeks on the sidelines with a broken wrist.
“If something becomes available, we’ll look, but we’ve got good options. Pagey (Finn Page) has done really well since coming back, and Jayden Wright’s getting there.”
Fakenham Town: Pearson, Rasberry, Page, Sturman, Mayhew, Wright, Bonner, Henman-Mason, Watts, Henman, Flack. Subs: Robinson, Smith, Billing, Malenguka, Burrwood.
