A.F.C. Sudbury returned to action having been inactive due to the weather since January 2nd. Making his debut was on-loan striker Craig Hammond with Jack Jones finding a place on the bench.

A.F.C. Sudbury kicked off the match on a heavy pitch which nevertheless had coped with the rain which had fallen twenty-four hours previously very well. Sudbury created the first opening of the match when Craig Hughes spotted Romulus ‘keeper Matt Sargeant off his line and sent a speculative effort just wide of the left hand post. Daniel Emmanuel was next to cause a danger to the Romulus defence when his fine run along the right wing saw him sell Richard Robinson a dummy and cross just too high for the leaping Craig Hammond. A tenth minute free-kick was blasted low by Gareth Heath, taking a deflection on its way out for a left wing corner. Heath’s curling delivery was gathered by a stretching Matt Sargeant.

Romulus responded with a great exchange of passes between Thomas Franklin and Tyrone Fagan with Curtis Haynes-Brown on hand to head behind for a corner kick. Franklin reached Nicholas Heath’s corner kick from the left wing, but his shot was safely gathered by Richard Wilmot. Romulus were growing in confidence and Tiernan’s cross towards Franklin was again grabbed by Richard Wilmot. Fagin then crossed into Tom Wilmore, but his shot went wide of the Sudbury goal. On the half-hour Stuart Walker was fouled by Tiernon on the edge of the Romulus penalty area. Gareth Heath stroked the ball over the wall, but Sargeant was well-placed to deal with the effort.

On the half-hour Romulus had Franklin warned for questioning a decision by referee Hardie whilst Richard Robinson did see yellow for a barge on Nathan Speed. An almighty scramble in the Sudbury penalty area resulted in a partial clearance, but just when the danger seemed to have been averted, a cross fell for Richard Munday to lash home a goal for the visitors. Sudbury were behind for just six minutes. A Gareth Heath corner from the left wing with a minute remaining in the half fell for Daniel Emmanuel who made no mistake from six yards out.



H-T 1-1

Sudbury began the second period with purpose, Heath’s forty-sixth minute corner fell for Sam Clarke whose driven shot deflected wide for a second corner kick. On forty-nine minutes Romulus had a great chance when Fagan turned adeptly on the edge of the penalty area to fire a shot just wide of the left hand post. Fagan capitalised on a poor clearance by Curtis Haynes-Brown to chase to the ball to the goal-line, but Haynes-Brown recovered to tackle the Romulus forward at the expense of a corner kick. Gareth Heath rose first to head the corner clear with Leon Blake then sending a neat ball through the middle for Thomas Franklin to chase and whose shot went high over the Sudbury crossbar.

Craig Hughes sent a similar ball over the top for Craig Hammond to chase, but Sargeant was rapidly off his line to swoop on the ball on the edge of his penalty area. On the hour, a half-cleared free-kick fell to Stuart Walker thirty yards out and his stinging low drive was gratefully gathered by Sargeant. Franklin then struck a dangerous looking shot from twenty yards which Richard Wilmot saved well, positioning himself perfectly behind the ball. Romulus pressed their hosts hard, but Sudbury responded with some hard work at the back, Sam Clarke especially keen in the tackle. Clarke was caught late by Leon Blake, the Romulus number six earning another yellow card for his team.

With twenty minutes remaining Steve Adams rose to head Gareth Heath’s left wing corner over the crossbar, but chances were becoming rarer on the heavy pitch as tiredness began to take its toll. Stuart Walker made way for Jack Jones who immediately made his presence felt with a mazy run at the heart of the Romulus defence. Thomas Franklin burst forward for the visitors, but Danny Brown did very well to harry the midfielder into shooting wide of the home goal. Tom Wilmore seemed to fall easily under pressure from Nathan Speed, but referee Hardie awarded Romulus a free-kick and Speed a harsh-looking yellow card. The busy Tyrone Franklin was booked for a foul on Sam Clarke, but neither side could carve out a meaningful chance as the game finished with honours even.

Richard Whiting