Stowmarket Town 3 Ipswich Wands 0

East Anglian Daily Times: GOAL David Kempson taps home Stowmarket's opening goal against Ipswich Wanderers. Photo: PAUL VOLLERGOAL David Kempson taps home Stowmarket's opening goal against Ipswich Wanderers. Photo: PAUL VOLLER (Image: Archant)

A brace from Josh Mayhew helped Stowmarket Town bounce back to winning ways with a 3-0 victory against Ipswich Wanderers, writes Alex Moss.

The Old Gold and Blacks saw their winning start to 2018 come to an end after losing 3-2 to Saffron Walden Town the previous weekend.

But Rick Andrews’ men provided the perfect response with a win over their neighbours making it nine wins out of 10 and cut the gap on second-placed Coggeshall Town to six points.

The Old Gold and Blacks made a quick start last Saturday, with Mayhew opening the scoring inside the first five minutes, and Andrews’ men began this contest with the same intent.

Leon Ottley-Gooch headed Dave Cowley’s cross on to the crossbar on two minutes, before the latter saw a shot pushed away by Jack Spurling, the Wanderers goalkeeper, in the 10th minute.

Stow’s bright start was rewarded on 13 minutes when David Kempson scrambled home, after Luke Read’s shot had been cleared off the line, the defender taking his tally for the season to three goals in 11 games.

The home side made it 2-0 three minutes later when Mayhew converted Remi Garrett’s low cross to move on to 44 goals for the season.

Stow continued to push for more goals as the first half drew to a close, with Angelo Harrop and Cowley both being denied by Spurling as the hosts went into the break with a two-goal advantage.

After the interval Mayhew and Garrett were the latest to be thwarted by the Wanderers goalkeeper, before Craig Brand made a save at the other end, getting his hands on Mark Goldfinch’s header midway through the second half.

With three minutes left on the clock, Stow ensured their record of scoring in every half so far in 2018 continued, as Mayhew doubled his tally for the afternoon to make it 3-0.

Mayhew now has 45 goals this season and is joint-second on the list for most goals scored by a player in a single Thurlow Nunn League top flight season, with the 50-goal record, held by Wroxham’s Matthew Metcalf, now within touching distance.