Billy Hunt double helps Needham Market sign off pre-season with victory over Bury Town

A Billy Hunt first-half brace was added to by captain Gareth Heath as Needham Market ended their pre-season schedule with a 3-1 home victory over lower-league Bury Town at Bloomfields.

Both sides used the game as a warm up for next Tuesday's delayed Suffolk Premier Cup semi-finals, which will see Needham take on Stowmarket Town at AFC Sudbury and Bury go up against Lowestoft Town at Fliexstowe & Walton United.

With Marcus Garnham having rolled his ankle in Saturday's 3-2 home victory over AFC Sudbury, Ipswich Town's 20-year-old American goalkeeper Roger Penske was drafted in to play for Needham.

A number of injuries, including a calf strain to Kieran Morphew, meant Kevin Horlock named two academy players among four substitutes. New signing Byron Lawrence was one of those on the bench.

Bury, who had not played since a week ago Friday with last Tuesday's home friendly with Braintree Town called off as a precautionary measure after previous opponents Walsham-le-Willows had a player test positive for Covid-19, had former AFC Sudbury player Baris Altintop in defence.

With their new loan goalkeeper from Norwich, Joe Rose, unavailable, stand-in Ben Mayhew took his place between the sticks.

Former professional Carlos Edwards also started for Bury following news he has been relieved of his duties as Woodbridge Town manager due to the impact of also featuring for the Blues last term.

After showing good energy and speed of thought in their decision-making in the opening stages, Needham opened the scoring in the fifth minute. From a deep left-wing cross Billy Hunt rose well to plant a downward header from six yards beyond Mayhew.

Bury managed to recover from that early setback, ensuring no further damage was done from the hosts' bright start and managed to get back on level terms in the 15th minute. A perfectly weighted throughball put Cemal Ramadan in on goal and he provided a cool low finish into the bottom left-hand corner from the right side of the penalty area to level things up.

Immediately after the goal Bury's new signing Ollie Sniath had to be withdrawn with Cruise Nydazayo replacing him.

Needham responded by getting back on the front foot and created several chances with Mayhew saving a header from Fowkes as well as parrying out a fierce low effort from Noah Colland.

Needham deservedly retook the lead in the 25th minute with a stunning individual strike. Hunt, who was signed from Brightlingsea Regent in December, burst down the left-hand channel and fired a thunderbolt into the top left-hand corner to beat Mayhew at his near post to the crowd's delight.

On the half-hour mark there were Needham calls that a Dan Morphew header following a corner had crossed the line but the referee deemed Mayhew had kept it in play.

Ten minutes before the break, Bury were calling for a red card and penalty up the other end when Joe White went down holding his face under the attentions of Luke Ingram. But although the latter was shown a yellow card there was no spot kick awarded with the visitors having to retake a throw-in.

A tasty low cross from Ramadan just elluded Hughes' reach as Bury looked to get back on terms in what had been a fiercely-contested opening 45 minutes.

On the balance of possession and chances, a slender lead for Needham seemed about right.

Needham brought on former Ipswich midfielder Lawrence and left-back Callum Sturgess for the restart with Fowkes and Callum Page making way.

A nice move down the left involving Mills, Sturgess and Hunt saw the latter failing to get a clean connection as Mayhew made an easy save.

The Bury goalkeeper had to be alert soon after to turn away Lawrence's downward header after a Mills cross found him in plenty of space, while Hunt headed the loose ball comfortably over.

Up the other end a Nydazayo shot was caught confidently by Penske at his near post with the goalkeeper having got away with a wayward pass straight to Ramadan not long before.

In the 60th minute Bury made a second change with centre-back Taylor Hastings, only seen once last season due to injury, coming on for with Altintop moving across to right-back and Joe Hood pushing into midfield.

Three minutes later Needham thought they had their third when Dan Morphew's header from a Heath corner thundered off the underside of the crossbar and bounced out.

But soon after, in the 65th minute, they did stretch their advantage when a quick counter-attack, with Nydazayo lying up the other end having seen calls for a penalty waved away, saw Heath played in down the middle and he found the bottom left-hand corner with a cool finish from inside the penalty area.

There was a prolonged stoppage for Mayhew to receive treatment on his shoulder after he collided badly with substitute Jose Santa but he was able to carry on.

A snapshot from Santa in the 81st minute went just past the near post but Needham were left with a two-goal advantage at the final whistle after a tidy night's work.

Needham: Penske, Dye, Pollard, D Morphew, Mills, Heath (c), Collard, Ingram, Page, Hunt, Fowkes. Subs: Santa, Fitzgerald, Lawrence, Sturgess.

Bury: Mayhew, Hood, Altintop, White, Gardiner, Edwards, Snaith , Holland, Maughn, Ramadan, Hughes. Subs: Nydazayo, Cook, Cowling, Hammett, Hastings, Angus.