(Ridgeons League First Division, Saturday 1^st December 2007)

The match began in disjointed fashion with Melford losing the ball cheaply in midfield, but Scott Welton fired over from the resulting half-chance. On 3 minutes the visitors were awarded their first of several early corners and Matt Wilson had to head over the bar under pressure to clear the danger. Moments later, the visitors fired in a good ball from the left, Dan Grindrod was forced to concede another corner with Ross Myhill waiting to pounce.

Slowly but surely Melford came into the match, and around the 15-minute mark created a good opportunity. Danny Brind found Paul Walker who slipped the ball through to Carl Daw. Daw’s pace took him clear of the Hadleigh backline but from a fair distance his early shot went narrowly over the crossbar.

Wilson then tested Hadleigh keeper Luke Whitwell with a firmly struck shot, as did Ashley Skeggs who on 22 minutes beat several Hadleigh defenders on a fine run before seeing his shot comfortably gathered. Moments later Wilson couldn’t quite keep a header from a Walker corner down, and a Melford goal looked inevitable.

Hadleigh survived a penalty appeal on 25 minutes when the ball appeared to strike a hand in the visitors’ area, but then out of nowhere Melford found themselves a goal down. A mix up at the back saw Brind’s attempt to cushion a header back to Floyd Croll result in an unfortunate own goal.

The goal changed the flow of the game and Melford were lucky not to concede a second straight away when Hadleigh struck the top corner of the woodwork, and the home side found themselves on the defensive for the rest of the half.

The second half began with a brief spell of Melford pressure, with Tony French firing over from the edge of the box. However, after approximately 50 minutes Hadleigh extended their lead when Craig Payne was on hand to convert a chance at the far post to leave Melford facing an uphill struggle.

Melford kept battling in trademark fashion but the better chances were falling to the visitors. On 65 minutes Hadleigh’s Chris Smith was allowed far too much time and space in the Melford penalty area but fired over.

Around the 70-minute mark Melford pulled a goal back. Skeggs latched on to a well-judged Wilson pass and his touch took him clear of advancing keeper Whitwell. Skeggs then showed impressive composure to calmly finish from a wide angle. Hadleigh continued to threaten and Croll had to make two smart stops in the Melford goal in the ensuing minutes.

Five minutes later Hadleigh were reduced to ten men when Chris Smith caught Dan Grindrod with a late challenge. Perhaps a straight red was harsh on the Hadleigh man, as several equally late and robust tackles from both sides had previously gone unpunished. Melford stepped up a gear and looked likely to force the equaliser. Mark Alder had a shot deflected on 80 minutes and from the resulting corner the same player headed over the bar.

With little over 5 minutes remaining, Hadleigh restored their two-goal cushion. Ross Myhill ran down the right, cut inside and shot powerfully with his left foot. Croll parried the shot but the ball rebounded off a Melford defender and into the back of the net.

Melford could offer no reply in the final moments of the match and Hadleigh continued their excellent record against the Villagers in recent seasons.

HADLEIGH: Whitwell, L Smith, Oakes, Fleming, Knott, Rose, Myhill, Welton, Payne, C Smith, Dennett Subs: Layton (for Dennett), Woods, Porter (for Welton), Goodchild (for Payne)

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