Boss Anderson hails Fakenham Town’s ‘finest display yet’

Fakenham Town go into Saturday’s home fixture with Wivenhoe Town on the back of what manager Wayne Anderson calls one of the best performances in his time at the club, writes Gareth Davis.

The Ghosts were in stunning form at the weekend to collect a 2-0 win at defending Thurlow Nunn Premier Division champions Hadleigh United in a game they dominated from the first whistle.

It took their unbeaten league run to five matches, a sequence that also includes a win at Godmanchester Rovers and a draw at Newmarket Town – who were both second when they welcomed Anderson’s men.

The Ghosts’ boss said: “We did well last season and finished in the top two with some really good performances but in terms of football Saturday was one of the best games I’ve seen Fakenham Town play – even going back to when I was playing for Fakenham.

“We seem to raise our game against the better sides and if the boys believe in the way we play, we knew we can turn teams over like that. If we go in and play on Saturday against Wivenhoe like we did against Hadleigh then there is no answer.

“I will be delighted if we finish mid-table this season but if we play like we did at Hadleigh more often than not there’s no reason why we can’t look towards the top six.”

The result lifted Fakenham up to eighth in the Premier Division table with 27 points from their 18 games, and they are just two points behind Hadleigh who dropped to fifth on the back of what was only their third league defeat of the season.

Wivenhoe travel to Clipbush Park sitting third from bottom with 14 points from 17 games, having drawn 1-1 with second-bottom Diss Town on Saturday.

Fakenham’s goals at Hadleigh came from a first senior strike by Danny Williams in the 11th minute, and a first of the season from Sam Garner in first-half stoppage time – both created by Robbie Harris.

“Robbie stands five foot five or six but he looked like a mountain at Hadleigh with the way he held the ball up for us,” said Anderson.

“I told him that I needed him to play as a big man while we’re without Kyle Plumb and Ashley Jarvis and it paid off for us.”

Plumb misses the Wivenhoe fixture as he is still sidelined due to his foot injury, while Jarvis is also absent but the prognosis on his bruised femur is that it should keep him out for around five weeks. Matty Dye (ankle) and Lee Day (unavailable) will also be missing.

Fakenham’s reserves are away to Blofield United Reserves in Division Three of the Anglian Combination (2pm).

Ben Pierce’s side are sixth in the table and last Saturday handed second-placed Yelverton their first defeat of the campaign, Joe Woodhouse and Connor Walker netting in a 2-1 home victory for the Ghosts.