Daunting test for Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division Fakenham Town

Manager Wayne Anderson guided Fakenham Town to a vital away point on his return to the club, writes Tony Miles.

Robbie Harris’ replacement, who was once again assisted by Neil Jarvis on his Clipbush Park comeback, led the Ghosts to a 1-1 draw at Thurlow Nunn League (Eastern Counties) Premier Division mid-table Brantham Athletic on Saturday.

It was the home side that dominated in the first half, and an early save from Tommy Rix in the Fakenham goal kept the hosts at bay. Kyle Plumb almost opened the scoring for the Ghosts, but his shot was nothing that the Brantham keeper couldn’t deal with. Rix made three more saves but Athletic’s overall domination paid off as they finally found the back of the Fakenham net before the break.

The second half however belonged to a very attack-minded Fakenham, with efforts from Stephen Harvey and Ashley Jarvis going close. It took a while to come, but the equalising goal which always looked likely, arrived when Jarvis found the net to round off a well-worked move. It was the striker’s third goal in two matches since rejoining the club himself from higher-level Wroxham.

The Ghosts remain in 17th position in the table – two points and one place above the relegation zone – and face the daunting prospect of hosting Godmanchester Rovers, a side they lost to 5-0 at the beginning of September, at Clipbush Park on Saturday (3pm kick-off).

Since then however, things have been steadily improving for Fakenham and Anderson will be hoping his troops can continue the effort of the last two games, which has seen them move out of the drop zone.

While they’ve played a few more games than those around them, the promising performances have meant that the points are finally getting on the board as the Ghosts look to preserve their top-flight Eastern Counties status for next season. While the ambitions for after that remain high in the manager’s mind, he knows that for now, survival is key.

One thing the Fakenham manager will be looking to do is bring in a few new faces to bolster the ranks.

“The squad needs to be bigger, so the lads there will have to work a little bit harder to keep their places,” said Anderson.

The hard work Anderson talked about has certainly begun, with the first few training sessions really putting the Fakenham lads through their paces. With 26 players in attendance in his first session back Anderson seems pleased, as he hopes to finish as close to mid-table as possible.

Elsewhere, a second-half strike from Aaron Myhill earned the club’s reserves a 1-0 win at home to Long Stratton Reserves. Keeper Joe Simpson has returned to the club.

The under-18s face Aylsham in the Thurlow Nunn Youth League this evening, with the game being played at Holt Sports Centre (7.45pm).