Stowmarket Town 4 Framlingham Town 1

Stowmarket hosted this second round cup match in front of a crowd of 84 and played on a great surface.

All goals were scored in a lively action packed first half as the home sides dangerous number 9 Ethan Garcia scored all four goals. In the first few minutes both sides had chances, Gutteridge won a corner and at the other end Ethan Whittingstall had a shot blocked. The home side took the lead when a Fram defender played the ball across the edge of the area and Garcia latched onto the ball and clipped it over the advancing Abel. Whittingstall brought the scores level a minute later when a cross was side footed in from close range.

Stowmarket were not allowing the Fram side to settle and another error in defence allowed Garcia the opportunity to strike the ball from the edge of the area low into the net on 12 minutes. As Fram came more into the game Owen Pearce was unlucky not to score when Mansfield played the ball in for the striker to lift the ball narrowly over the bar with the keeper beaten. Fram were being outfought in midfield allowing the home side to push the Fram defence and on the half hour Garcia scored his third goal sidestepping a defender to shoot low past the outstretched Abel who then saved another effort from the home side before Garcia had a fourth goal on 43 minutes.

The second half saw a number of changes on the Fram side and it looked more balanced and effective with Knights and Rodwell having shots go narrowly over the bar. Rodwell was unlucky on two occasions when the keeper blocked his efforts. The young 16 year old Ashton Darwell Taylor was impressing on the right hand side as he made a number of dangerous runs and crosses however there was no further scoring therefore Stowmarket proceed to the next round with a deserved victory.

IAIN SMITH