Gorleston maintained their unbeaten start to the season and closed the gap on leaders Mildenhall while the visitors were left to rue several missed chances.

The visitors were reduced to ten men in the 48th minute when Callum Bennett saw red for what referee Adrian Sanerude saw as deliberate handball to deny the home side a goal, and Connor Ingram drilled the spot kick past Crump to bring his side level and cancel our Rhys Barber’s fifth-minute strike.

The visitors had looked good value for their half-time lead with Ethan Clarke seeing his effort in the second minute rebound off the inside of the post and bar then across the goal and away to safety before Barber was unmarked at the far post three minutes later to plant Scott Chaplin’s corner into the net.

Gorleston having been second best in the opening 15 minutes began to work their way into the game without troubling Crump,

A 20 yard run from McKay that saw him slip past three players should have brought some reward but he blasted his effort wide from Gorleston’s best opening of the half.

In a spell of niggly fouls that saw Craig Jennings, Dan Davis and Jamal Wiggins booked and tempers on a short fuse it was the visitors who emerged the stronger as the half time whistle approached.

Bennett’s red card turned the game in Gorleston’s favour but Barber marshalled his back four well to deny Gorleston any clear cut openings until the 75th minute when a corner was only half cleared and Joel Watts drilled the ball past Crump from 12 yards.

The Seasiders custodian then produced a magnificent one handed save to turn away Watts goal bound effort and keep his side in the game.

While Gorleston had the lion’s share of possession in the latter stages it was the Seasiders who created the better of the openings and with perhaps a bit more composure in front of goal they might have salvaged a point from what in the end was a bad tempered affair bringing the visitors’ seven-match unbeaten run to an end.