Fakenham were unlucky to slip to a 2-0 defeat at high-flying Mulbarton Wanderers in their latest Thurlow Nunn League Division One fixture on a blustery Friday evening.

The Ghosts almost took the wind out of the Wanderers’ sails after only eight minutes when Callum Brain, with the keeper off his line, looped the ball over his head, only to see it bounce off the crossbar.

This signalled 15 minutes of Fakenham pressure, culminating in Daniel Tuddenham, from a metre out, getting under the ball and spooning it over the bar.

Mulbarton then got their noses in front when the ball was pinged in at head height to the penalty area and there was Sam Whiting, unmarked and with a clear sight of goal, to open the scoring.

There was an almost immediate response when a clearance from midway in the Fakenham half caught the wind, bounced over the Mulbarton keeper standing 10 metres outside his area and came off the left hand post for a goal-kick.

Mulbarton took a 1-0 lead into the second half, perhaps relieved to actually be ahead. Fakenham hit the woodwork for the third time when a one-two between Ryan Curtis and Callum Brain saw Brain’s shot come back off the post.

Another Fakenham chance came when a Claxton shot was punched out hard and low by the keeper but straight onto Akers’ head but it came too fast for him to direct it on target.

Mulbarton applied the sucker punch when Brain lost the ball and it found its way to Tom Amis who finished from 15 metres out.

Mulbarton’s Charlie Aulert was later shown a yellow card for a robust challenge on Ricky Claxton who only lasted a few minutes more and was replaced by new signing Connor Laskey.

Next up it’s King’s Lynn Reserves at Clipbush Park this Friday (7.45pm) for what should be a humdinger in front of a good sized crowd.

Fakenham Reserves had an excellent 5-0 win over Attleborough Town to maintain a solid start to the season in Division One of the Anglian Combination (Alby Matthews 2, Luke Gray, Lloyd Briggs, Ben Darby). On Saturday they are at home to Kirkley and Pakefield Reserves in the Mummery Cup.