SUFFOLK FA Under-16s edged out Essex FA Under-16s in a five-goal East Anglian Counties competition thriller at Hadleigh United on Sunday.

Suffolk were much quicker off the mark with two chances in the first three minutes but both were thwarted by good defending.

Midway through the half Essex started settling into the game but neither team could get the ball on the ground to play but in the 29th minute Suffolk made the breakthrough, a corner was swung in by Adam Mills and was met with a powerful header by Kyran Clements.

After the restart Essex started pushing harder and it only took five minutes before they had drawn level as Owen Edobar fired in the equaliser.

Essex were now on top and two minutes later they took the lead with Owen Edobar scoring his second.

The second half started much like the opening period with Suffolk attacking from the off but Essex slowly but surely started to edge the game with a couple of chances in quick succession.

However, it was Suffolk who scored next just past the half way mark after Essex couldn’t clear from in their own penalty area and the ball found its way to Tom Wingfield who fired the ball home.

Suffolk were now enjoying most of the possession and as Essex had done in the first half they scored another goal within a couple of minutes with the impressive Adam Hills making a run which took him past the Essex goalkeeper before sliding home into an empty net.

The game now became very open again swinging from end to end but Suffolk managed to see out the game to win 3-2.

The Suffolk FA Under-18 squad has been announced to face Essex FA Under-18s on Thursday at Brightlingsea.

The match in the East Anglian Counties competition at Brightlingsea Regent’s North Road ground kicks-off at 7.45pm.

Suffolk squad: E Key, L Wales, R Taylor, R Bailey (all Bury Town), J Gregory (Stowmarket Town), M Wilson, A Swatman (both Lowestoft Town), E Crowe, R Charles, C Corrick, J Carver, G Clarke, M Poxon (all Needham Market), M West (Felixstowe & Walton Utd), A Forshaw (Haverhill Rovers), J Fryatt, J Spurling (both Woodbridge Town). Standby players: C Norris, H Cole (both Woodbridge Town), B Heath, S Thrower (both Needham Market), J Yaxley, C Guyon (both Bury Town).