A win for Woodbridge Town in the FA Vase, plus a round-up of our Thurlow Nunn Division teams.

FA VASE

First Qualifying Round Woodbridge Town 4 Hatfield Town 1

Woodbridge Town progressed to the next round of the FA Vase after captain Mark Ray scored a hat-trick to help them to a comprehensive home win against Hatfield Town.

Ray beat the offside trap and rounded the advancing goalkeeper to open the scoring after 36 minutes for the Woodpeckers.

Ray doubled Woodbridge’s lead after 70 minutes with a neat finish following a slick move involving Callum Sinclair and George Bowman. On 81 minutes Ray completed his hat-trick, before Hatfield pulled a goal back after 92 minutes after a superb lob from Tatenda Makoni.

The home side made it 4-1 in the last seconds of the game when Aaron Churchyard headed home from close range to seal a deserved win.

Haverhill Rovers 0 Brantham Athletic 1

Brantham Athletic’s first win for five games came at the expense of Haverhill Rovers, who went down to their second defeat in the last five.

The first-half didn’t really have any real excitement to it until almost half an hour had passed, as Ollie Mann twice went close for Brantham.

Sean Gunn headed the ball into the ground with the Haverhill goal at his mercy and the ball coming up and hitting the bar.

Danny Hall brought a good save out of the Brantham goalkeeper at the other end moments later in an exciting final 15 minutes of the first-half.

The only goal of the game came in the 53rd minute when Gunn got to the ball before Haverhill goalkeeper Charlie Turner, took it round him, and then rolled the ball into the net from out wide.

Home substitute Luke Haines had a 30 yard effort pushed over by visiting goalkeeper Jack Spurling, before Ross Elkins’ 15 yard volley went over a crowd of players and the crossbar as Rovers searched for an equaliser but could not find the elusive goal which they needed.

First Division Needham Market Reserves 1 Haverhill Borough 3

Haverhill Borough continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 3-1 defeat of Needham Market Reserves.

Borough started the game brightly, and were rewarded after just four minutes as Matt Staines worked some space, and picked out Ryan Phillips who beat Needham goalkeeper Tyler Hursey with a classy flick from inside the box.

It should have been two within an opening 10 minutes which the away side dominated, as Craig Pruden saw his fierce half volley saved by Hursey, before goalscorer Phillips’ shot was headed off the line.

The next 20 minutes were dictated by Needham, and the home side deservedly drew level on 17 minutes as Santo Sarro-Haire scored a fine individual goal.

Picking the ball up on the right flank, the winger beat three members of the Borough defence before rounding Graham Smith in the Borough goal.

Borough did take a lead into half-time that was perhaps undeserved given the balance of play.

Pruden was involved again, creating space in the box before picking out Phillips who smashed in from close range.

After the break Haverhill began where they left off and Staines was unlucky to see three of his shots saved within the opening 15 minutes of the second-half.

Borough appeared more secure defensively, and the game was settled on 82 minutes when substitute Owen Thompson killed off the game with a stunning 25 yard strike into Hursey’s top left corner.