Plucky Melford defeated in Ely

The Villagers suffered defeat on their travels in an entertaining encounter in Ely on Tuesday night.

In their fourth away game in their last five outings, a Tuesday in Cambridgeshire was always going to be a big ask for the Villagers and they were forced to make seven changes from the side that started at Fakenham on Saturday, due to a mixture of injury and other absences.

It meant a second start for Max Boulter in goal, while Perry Newman made his full first team debut, and David Lorimer came in for his first appearance of the season.

Nonetheless, the Villagers started brightly and looked to go on the front foot, though it wasn’t long before Ely were able get their noses in front. Latching onto a loose ball in Melford territory, the ball reached Jordan Foster who was on hand to tuck home after Boulter’s initial parry.

Melford responded, though, and were finding joy going forward but were always under threat from a quick and direct Ely frontline.

For the second game running Hassan Ally got his name on the scoresheet, once again arriving at the back post to tuck home a Jamie Griffiths cross with 25 minutes played.

Former Melford wideman, Ben Tait, then found himself in a good position inside the box from a kind deflection and tucked away coolly to give the home side the lead again ten minutes later, and the game looked to be finely poised going into the break.

However, with virtually the last kick of the first half, another long ball in behind the Melford defence found Ryan Gibbs on the left. He had time to deliver an inch perfect cross which Luke Young met unchallenged on the penalty spot to guide a header into the bottom of Boulter’s net.

A frustrating time to concede from a Melford point of view, and it was compounded just after the break when Ely got a fourth. The visitors looked lively as they returned to the field but a short pass following a throw-in in the Ely half was picked up a fed instantly in behind the Melford defence to Gibbs, who rounded Boulter to score.

It ensured their second half was even more of an uphill battle, but the Villagers kept going and made the final 25 minutes more interesting when they grabbed a second.

George Day delivered a vicious corner in from the left which caused problems in the Ely rearguard, as it looked to be arrowing towards Lorimer a defender’s head got the flick to direct into the goal.

Melford were then forced into another change as the injured Will Wingfield was replaced by Ty Williams, making his third appearance of the campaign, at left back.

While both sides could have added to the scores, the defences held firm and after Jack Delaune came on for his Melford debut, and Elliot Walker was introduced late on, the referee brought an fairly contested game to an end, leaving the Villagers in 16th place in the league.

Team: Boulter, Smith, Wingfield (Williams 70), Parnell (E Walker 85), Mills, Day, Ally, Brown (c), Griffiths, Lorimer, Newman (Delaune 75)
Not used: Bradbury, Chisholm

Goals: Ally (20), Own Goal (65)