Needham Market manager Colin Grogan proud of side’s performance in 5-1 Suffolk U18 Midweek Cup Final loss to AFC Sudbury

They may have ended up losing 5-1 in Wednesday’s Veo Suffolk U18 Midweek Cup Final to full-time academy rivals AFC Sudbury but Needham Market manager Colin Grogan was still left proud of his boys’ efforts at Colchester United FC.

After a wondergoal from England Under-19s futsal international Bobby Badham had put serial winners of the competition Sudbury ahead on the stroke of half-time, following a very even opening 45 minutes, his side drew level four minutes after the restart through James Letts.

Their captain Seth Chambers then had a glorious opportunity to put them in front just before the hour mark but was thwarted by a superb save from Ryan Dunne, who clawed his effort from a Ollie Fraser cross out of the top corner.

It was to prove a pivotal moment in the final as within two minutes it was Dunne’s opposite number, Lawrence Robinson, who was picking the ball out of his net following a fine individual goal from Jamie Bennett.

From there there was no looking back for Sudbury as first year Reuben Swann coolly dispatched two fine throughballs from Liam Pearce in a nine minute spell inside the last 20 minutes.

And substitute Kaya Donohue pounced on a defensive mistake to add the icing on the cake in the final regulation minute.

Reflecting on their first appearance in the final of the competition since it became known and played as a Midweek Cup, Grogan agreed with the assertion the score was a tad harsh on his side following a spirited display against the now seven times straight winners.

“I think it was,” he said, “some of the goals came from our mistakes at the end of the day.

“At half-time we were very much in the game. We came out second half and knew that they would want to press home an advantage and be quite aggressive and to be fair to them they played some good football, they took their chances.

“Their goalkeeper has pulled off a fantastic save which if that goes in might change the tie and the outcome but I’m proud of the boys.

“They run their socks off and done as much as they can but didn’t quite have enough on the night.”

Needham, who had been knocked out 2-1 by Sudbury in last year’s semi-finals, started very much on the front foot with right-back Clayton Osborn testing Dunne early on with some well whipped in corners at his near post. His excellent deliveries went on to be a feature of the night and led to some of his side’s best chances.

One of those came from a deep cross which found Chambers in space at the far post but Dunne made a good close-range save to deny him the opener.

In the end it was Sudbury who eventually broke the deadlock in some style with Needham failing to get a corner proerly clear and Badham bursting on to the loose ball 30 yards out and hitting it sweetly on the half volley, sending his shot arrowing into the top right-hand corner.

Despite Sudbury’s bright start to the second half it was Needham who got the crucial next goal in the 49th minute when Letts was on hand to convert a loose ball from inside the area following Dunne saving Chambers’ initial effort from the lively Fraser’s cross.

But Chambers was to be denied by a superb flying save from the Sudbury ‘keeper just before the hour mark that provided the few minutes on which this final turned away from them.

Twice inside nine minutes the Needham defence was undone by Pearce’s weighted throughballs for Swann to run on to and finish with aplomb while Stanley Fovargue was punished for getting the ball stuck under his feet by substitute Kaya Donohue in the final minute.

Needham: Robinson, Osborn, Greenleaf, Crosthwaite (Buxton 77’), Smith, Fovargue, Braddon (Gayle 72’), Clark, Chambers (Ed Barker 88’), Letts (Eddie Barker 77’), Fraser. Booked: None.

Attendance: 431