The 1st half was pleasing on the eye with Woodbridge weathering early Walsham pressure relatively easily before getting their typical passing game going & creating several half-chances;
Craig Jennings flashed a shot inches wide of the far post & Josh Mayhew’s cross deceived everybody as it rolled across the face of goal. It seemed that Woodbridge would take the lead on 28 minutes when Mayhew was scythed down in the penalty area, but Sean Rea lost his 100% successful record when the ball rebounded back off the post to safety. Walsham’s best chance came when a close range header was straight at Lewis Rhodes, but there were also two goalmouth scrambles which fell Woodbridge’s way & Rhodes made another angled block with his feet.

Woodbridge finally broke the deadlock just before half-time when Ashley Holmes forced the keeper into a full-stretch diving save & from the resulting corner Danny Tatum picked out FABIAN AMBROSE & he headed in.

The beginning of the 2nd half was a fairly tame affair & certainly never suggested what was to come in the final 30 minutes; CRAIG JENNINGS began an amazing scoring spell on 63 minutes when he turned his man 10 yards inside his own half, raced away towards goal before cutting inside & hammering the ball inside the near post from 20 yards. Within two minutes Walsham pulled a goal back on the counter-attack. The 2 goal lead was quickly restored when excellent approach play from Mayhew set up CRAIG JENNINGS again & he casually curled the ball inside the far post. Under 16 substitute, Jordan Seaman earned a penalty when he was impeded as he burst into the penalty area & with Rea already substituted, JOSH MAYHEW took over the responsibility & duly scored. CRAIG, JENNINGS, who had tried to wrestle the penalty away from Mayhew, completed his hat-trick with another clinical strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Walsham reacted quickest when Rhodes couldn’t hang onto a low drive to net the rebound to reduce the score to 5-2 only for PETE RICHARDSON, returning as a late substitute after a lengthy injury demonstrated his finishing ability with a 20 yard strike equally as good as any Jennings had recorded. Walsham then hit a post before a terrific solo run, aided by weak attempts at tackling, led to another consolation goal which was incredibly the 8th goal in a 26 minute spell!

Team: Rhodes, Stafford, Hood-Wright, Duzgun (Richardson 71), Ambrose, Salisbury, Rea (J. Seaman 61), Holmes, Jennings, Tatum & Mayhew.

Woodbridge bring down the curtain on their home fixtures when Bungay visit next Thursday & there are certain be a host of John Beecroft’s Under 16 squad in action as they continue to get Ridgeons Youth League experience before they join the SETEC scheme in September.