Narrow defeat in Norfolk

A Force 2 wind blowing directly down the pitch, a bobbly playing surface, and from a Melford perspective an over fussy referee, not the ingredients for a football spectacle.

And indeed that was the case, with both teams struggling to overcome the conditions this was a game to forget very easily.

The opening minute was almost a disaster for Melford, Ben Thompson from clearly (to everyone other than the assistant referee) yards offside burst through on the Melford goal, only to be thwarted by a last ditch tackle.

Melford with the wind at their backs, found it difficult to measure any passes, with the ball constantly running for goal kicks at the other end. The only real effort coming when Dan Smith volleyed just wide of the upright.

The referee seemed to like the use of the sin bin particularly in the case of Long Melford, with Dan Smith sin-binned on 17 minutes, George Day on 34 minutes and Hassan Ally  on 74 minutes, and he also issued a number of yellow cards against The Villagers.

The wind played its part in the only goal of the game, when Ollie Emsden attempted a pass back into the wind to Melford keeper Matt Walker, the ball held up nicely for IAN FANCETT to collect the ball and take it round keeper Walker and tap into the net.

On 33 minutes Walker tipped over the bar a fierce shot into the wind  from Dom Doggett, to keep the score line intact.

The end of the half  finished as it started, with Melford finding little fluency whilst the home team looked a little better kicking into the wind.

The pattern emerged in the second half with Melford looking an improved team kicking into the wind, whilst the home team forced several corners but were unable to convert the final ball.

Midway through the half Jamie Griffiths had a shot blocked on the line, and Hassan Ally was again foiled by a defensive block.

The biggest shout for Melford came when Griffiths was brought down the box, and the outcome was a card from the referee for diving.

The home team brought on Cruise Nyadzayo for the last ten minutes a player who recently featured for AFC Sudbury in their televised FA Cup tie against Colchester.

He had two golden chances to increase the score for Mulbarton, on 85 minutes when from a corner he fired wide from 15 yards, and then three minutes later the ball bounced over the last Melford defender, and Nyadzayo ran onto the ball chipped the advancing Melford keeper, but the ball went wide of the post.

Another bizarre incident for Melford in the dying minutes, Kyle Hurley was brought down 30 yards from a goal, a free kick correctly awarded to Melford, and then referee Cameron Saunders booked Hurley over the kick, confusing to say the least!

To summarise, poor conditions, a poor game, with overall Mulbarton playing a little more football than Long Melford.   CHENOBERET