Brandon arrived at Hempnall with many of their first choice team absent, and opted to play into the strong wind after winning the toss.
We took full advantage of these factors, racing to a 2 goal lead inside the first 20 minutes when, first Browne and then Flint converted well. The two young strikers working in tandem for the first time since Flint’s return and his debut to Premier foot ball.
At this stage it looked like the 2 week break had done nothing to disrupt the good form shown in Acle and Blofield games.
However, after this we visibly took our foot off the peddle, and our play became very sloppy. Passes started to go astray, touches became poor and a lack of sharpness in the mind.
Despite some halftime words around the need to raise our game, the second half began in the same fashion, and Brandon came more into the game but never really troubled Cudden. Ben Cussens crashed a ball against a post before our man of the match Browne scored the all important 3rd goal in the game to finish the match as a contest.
Adam Solley entered the fray as Sam Wenham struggled with a chest problem, and Ben Lydka replaced Barnsey .
Brandon continued to battle and were rewarded with a goal, a screaming shot from the edge of the box that gave Cudden no chance. This completed the scoring at 3-1.
Not our greatest performance, and credit to Brandon who battled throughout despite their missing players but they probably didn’t have enough on the day to push us hard (no disrespect intended just an appreciation of their situation).
From the bigger picture reflection, it’s 3 more points on the board, and with Norwich Union losing to Hindringham (our destination this week) and Acle losing at home to the rejuvenated Halvergate, the league position looks brighter. Our target of a top 6 finish looks to be on the cards.
It was good to see the commitment of the players left out of the 14 on Saturday still at the game showing support for the Team. Much of our success is built around camaraderie and this sort of attitude goes a long way to convincing me that we are on the right track and have the right people with us.
With suspensions now starting to bite and games coming twice a week, they will all be playing their part as we go forward.
With the Cup final now scheduled on May 7th after the League season finishes, and the Dinner arranged for the 9th , things are set nicely for a good end to the season.
I was pleased to see the young A team secure another good win 4-2 despite the absenteeism of Joint manager. Lets hope he hasn’t got the globe trotting bug of his mentor, this sort of ‘slack’ commitment will not be tolerated (only joking Stu)!