Needham Market Reserves V Long Melford U23 | 13.07.2024 | Pre-Season Friendly | Ruby Homes Bloomfields Arena |

Needham Market Reserves recorded a 6-2 win over Long Melford U23s on Saturday, as James Mant's side prepare for the upcoming Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League First Division North.

In the third game of their pre-season campaign, the young Marketmen played some neat football, accompanied by some clinical finishing.

Josh Evans had the first shot for the home side, sporting their new Red kit, but scuffed his shot from 30-yards out wide of the bottom near, right-hand, corner after 9 minutes. 

Ten minutes later, Mant's side took the lead as Kel Fiddy weaved past a couple of defenders onto the right-hand edge of the box before finishing cleverly into the bottom near corner, 1-0 Needham.

Long Melford though responded two minutes later, as the visitors lifted a shot over Cullum to find the vacant top right-hand corner. 

An excellent save from Danny Cullum though thwarted the visitors on 29 minutes, the number 7 curled a great strike, from in space on the right-hand edge of the box, across goal, forcing a brilliant diving save from the ex-Ipswich Town Academy keeper - to tip it away at waist height. 

That save proved crucial as the Reds retook the lead a minute later, a great through-ball from Bradley Smith threaded Evan Gledhill through to unselfishly flick the ball onto Josh Evans to take a touch round the onrushing keeper and into the net, despite the best efforts of the defender, trying to clear, 2-1 Needham. 

In quickfire fashion, Needham struck twice more in the following 3 minutes, with two excellent finishes. First, Brad Smith added his name to the score-sheet, exploiting space to arrow a 30-yard strike into the bottom left-hand, far, corner to make it 3-1 after 32 minutes.

Within sixty seconds of that, Josh Evans scored his second goal of the afternoon, breaking through into space on the right wing before catching the keeper off his line to chip a great strike over the shot-stopper, who got a hand to it, and into the bottom far corner, 4-1 Needham on 33 minutes.

Another great save from Danny Cullum denied the away side from quickly reducing the deficit back to two on 39 minutes, as an audacious curling strike on the left-hand edge of the box, towards the top far corner was matched by a superb diving stop by the 'keeper to tip it onto the top of the crossbar and over for a corner. 

The away side then tested Cullum with a low shot from the right-hand edge of the box, but the stopper dived down smartly to his right to hold onto the shot on 45 minutes.

The second half saw more chances arrive at both ends, though Long Melford were arguably the better side after the restart - though their late consolation was followed by two more Needham goals.

Charlie Smy set Sam Gibbons driving through on the left wing, before cutting inside onto the left-hand edge of the box and seeing a decent strike well held by the keeper on 48 minutes. 

Josh Evans then dispossessed a defender on the left-hand side of the Long Melford box, but saw his strike go wide of the top near corner on 52 minutes. 

Danny Cullum then to held onto a low shot comfortably at his bottom near, right-hand, corner a minute later, before Sam Gibbons curled a free-kick over the bar on the hour mark. 

The away side then drove forward before seeing a shot from distance force a routine, comfortable, catch from Cullum at head height on 69 minutes, while Wilson saw a great curling free-kick, from the left-hand edge of the box, punched away by the keeper two minutes later. 

With nine minutes left on the clock, Cullum was alert to catch a dangerous 30-yard shot, creeping under the crossbar, before the away side did reduce the deficit to two a minute later. 

A smart left wing cross was cleverly sidefooted home into the bottom left-hand corner on the volley, 4-2. 

James Mant's side responded though, with two goals in the space of two minutes to wrap up a 6-2 victory through Flynn Bobby's late double. 

The winger raced through into the box, latching onto a great long ball over the top from Brad Smith before finishing smartly into the bottom left-hand corner, 5-2 after 87 minutes. 

Long Melford then hit a close range shot straight into Cullum's chest a minute later, before Bobby rounded off the scoring soon after - breaking through one-on-one inside the box, before again finishing smartly into the bottom near, left-hand, corner.

James Mant's side are back in action at Bloomfields on Saturday (3pm, on the 3G).

Needham Market Res:- 1 Danny Cullum, 2 Jake Diplock, 6 Brad Smith, 5 B.Ndlovv, 3 Isaac Ventura, 4 Charlie Smy, 8 Kel Fiddy, 7 Flynn Bobby, 10 Josh Evans, 11 Sam Gibbons, 9 Evan Gledhill. Subs: 12 Ollie Webber, 14 Oscar Wakeling, 16 Finlay Perry, 17 Harry Wilson, 19 Harlyn Palmer.

Goals: Kel Fiddy (19'), Josh Evans (30',33'), Brad Smith (32'), Flynn Bobby (87', 89'); LM (21), (82').