The first derby game of the season between Reedham and Freethorpe went the way of Reedham by way of a fairly comfortable 3-1 win. Despite the wind and rain, there was a good turn out of spectators who witnessed Reedham showing the greater desire of the two teams in a match that featured several big tackles from both sides, with Reedham often coming out on top.
The match began with Freethorpe enjoying slightly more of the possession and territory. However Reedham took the lead after 15 minutes through Simon Burns. Some poor defending following a Chrissy Earl long throw led to the ball bouncing to Burnsy, who finished into the bottom corner. Freethorpe 0 – 1 Reedham.
Craig Sharman saw a goal disallowed soon after, following a free kick from Ricco. What the referee saw to decide to disallow it will remain a mystery, however at this point it was clear that Freethorpe could not deal with the Reedham set pieces. The remainder of the first half saw few chances. Freethorpe worked themselves into some decent positions but their final ball was often lacking and Dan Carter was in imperious form commanding his area with authority. Ricky Grimmer had the half’s last decent chance making a chance for himself with a clever turn and shot which rebounded off the post.
The second half began in the same manner as the first as Freethorpe threatened to get back into the game without creating a clear sight of goal. Reedham defended solidly and this defending paid off when Ricky Grimmer turned in a corner to make it 2-0. Barry Payne’s delivery was met with an initial shot by Ricky Grimmer cannoning back off the post but it was Grimmer who was first to react and he finished bravely by throwing himself at the ball with a diving header. Once again it was Freethorpe’s inability to defend set pieces which cost them dearly. Freethorpe 0 – 2 Reedham
Andrew Rix had several half chances to put Reedham out of sight but the game was finally put to bed in the 80th minute when Josh Cox scored a lovely goal to make it 3-0. Receiving the ball on the edge of the area, he managed to turn the defender and hit a powerful shot which took a small deflection and went just out of reach of the Freethorpe goalkeeper into the top corner.
The last few minutes were slightly scrappy for Reedham as Freethorpe pressed to find a way back into the game. They managed a consolation goal in the 87th minute via a large deflection which completely wrong footed Dan Carter in goal. Freethorpe 1 – 3 Reedham
Reedham saw out the final few minutes to win 3-1. Overall it was a very pleasing and hardworking performance in a game that both teams were especially keen to win. Freethorpe clearly have a lot to improve on if they are to stand a chance of getting a result in the return leg at Reedham.
Man of the Match – Kieran Hunt (covered a massive amount of ground in the middle of the park and was a constant threat with driving runs at the Freethorpe defence)
