Seven games into the season, Fakenham Town are clearly in troubled waters.An 8-0 league defeat at FC Clacton was followed on Saturday by a 9-0 FA Vase thrashing on their own pitch by a Haverhill Rovers side hardly setting the Ridgeons Premier Division on fire.

Seven games into the season, Fakenham Town are clearly in troubled waters.

An 8-0 league defeat at FC Clacton was followed on Saturday by a 9-0 FA Vase thrashing on their own pitch by a Haverhill Rovers side hardly setting the Ridgeons Premier Division on fire.

The Ghosts, anchored at the foot of the First Division with no points from six games, have lost the services of goalkeeper Cameron Brown, who was a new signing for this season, and experienced midfielder Jason Cole, who were not happy with the lack of results.

Failure to find an experienced keeper for Saturday's game resulted in Adam Sherring stepping up from the reserves, who with no recognised keeper suffered a 3-1 Norfolk Junior Cup exit at the hands of Pott Row.

Haverhill brushed aside the Ghosts' defence four times in the first half and five in the second, which referee Helen Fulcher mercifully ended on the stroke of 90 minutes, probably saving the humiliation of a double-figure defeat.

It took three minutes for Rovers to open the scoring, which was led by four-goal Shaun Banham, Lee Salmons (2), Harry Halls, Louis Harper and Brad Hickman.

Karl Pask, ploughing a lone furrow up front for most of the match, put in some spirited efforts to test keeper Dave Walton in the Rovers goal, and Jake Betts impressed with his pace wide left when he came on as a sub.

Fakenham could point to injuries robbing them of Mark Betts, Matty Jensch, Mark Critten and Adam Woodhouse, but the manner of the last two defeats is worrying ahead of Saturday's league visit of Halstead Town, who are just three places higher than Fakenham with four points but having played just three games.

Joint manager Stuart Woodhouse admitted this week: “It is beginning to get to everyone.” He and Mark King are trying to attract new players but cannot compete financially with what other clubs can offer. “Financially it is very difficult.” But he said the club's financial situation was appreciated by the management team.

Woodhouse admitted that too much was being asked of the club's teenagers. As many of 11 16-year-olds have been used in Saturday action when they needed to be brought along slowly alongside experienced players. In two years' time he expected the youth set-up to produce a good quality squad, but at the moment too much was being asked of it.

Nick Tagg is back from suspension at the weekend, Jensch should be fit enough to be in the squad and Harry Felton is likely to be available. But Mark Betts and Nick Haynes are unavailable.