A.F.C. Sudbury welcomed Redbridge to the MEL Group Stadium knowing that nothing less than a win was required against the side in penultimate place in Ryman Division One North. Sudbury welcomed back Rhys Darg to the squad whilst Leon Antoine, James Baker, Sam Clarke and James Smith remain long-term absentees.

Both sets of players, officials and the crowd observed a minute’s silence before kick-off on the eve of Remembrance Sunday.

Redbridge kicked off the game, attacking the town end of the Mel Group Stadium. It was A.F.C. Sudbury who showed first, taking the lead inside the first two minutes. Michael Shinn switched the ball from the left wing to right where Dave Cowley beat Nikki Beale to send a wonderful cross into Lee Boylan who nudged the ball past Michael Bowditch in the visitor’s goal.

On seven minutes, Jacob Cleaver sent a flashing header just wide of Alex Archer’s right hand post with the Sudbury ‘keeper at full stretch. It was 2-0 after just eleven minutes. Jacob Brown’s ball from the left wing found Danny Charge. His fine ball at pace into Lee Boylan was laid into the path of Dave Cowley who finished neatly past Bowditch to double A.F.C. Sudbury’s advantage.

It was almost three on fourteen minutes when Lee Boylan burst through on goal, only to see his shot blocked by Bowditch. The third goal came, however, just a minute later. Robbie Martin’s fine run saw him win a right wing corner. Michael Shinn delivered superbly to the back post where Rhys Darg was on hand to head emphatically home.

Darg was on hand to rise well to meet a Redbridge corner three minutes later and send the ball clear. Darg was then at full-stretch heading clear on the dive to release Dave Cowley. The Sudbury number eleven found Lee Boylan whose chip over Bowditch went just wide of the left hand upright. On twenty-four minutes Sudbury underlined their superiority with a fourth goal. Peter Maina found space and the confidence to shoot from over twenty yards, drilling the ball into the back of the net past a diving Bowditch.

Dave Cowley ran at the heart of the Redbridge defence, but his dangerous ball in to Russell Pond in an advanced position, was just cut out and cleared. On thirty-two minutes Robbie Martin’s run saw his shot spilled by Bowditch with Danny Charge unlucky not to get on the end of the loose ball before it was smuggled clear.

Redbridge midfielder Daniel Jones found himself free in the A.F.C. Sudbury penalty area, but he was both adjudged offside and missed with his shot. Dave Cowley crossed into Danny Charge at pace, but his shot saw the ball loop wide of the right hand post. It was almost five on thirty-five minutes when Stephen Ikumelo sliced an easy clearance on the edge of the Redbridge penalty area which fell to Lee Boylan whose shot was blocked by Bowditch at the expense of a corner.

Danny Charge had a shot easily gathered by Bowditch on forty minutes before Lee Newton went wide with a shot following a Redbridge break. The half-time whistle sounded with Sudbury having taken hold of the game which looked impossible to break.

Half-Time; AFC Sudbury 4 Redbridge 0

Redbridge started the half with vigour, Russell Pond in superbly on Lee Newton to deny the visitors an opening. Daniel Jones then got behind the home defence, but Bradley Thomas did well to block his attempted shot and Archer was off his line to clear.

On fifty-two minutes Sudbury scored a fifth goal. A disastrous clearance again fell to Lee Boylan who took his time to side-step Bowditch and run the ball into the net. Redbridge responded with a shot by Joe Bricknall saved by Archer and Cleaver’s follow-up blocked by the hard-working Sudbury defence. On the hour Tom Webb replaced the excellent Rhys Darg who had marked his Sudbury return with a hard-working and inspiring shift.

Daniel Jones did well on the left for Redbridge, beating two defenders to cross for Jacob Cleaver to head home an easy goal on sixty-six minutes. A minute later and Daniel Jones’ fine left wing run saw him clip a shot just wide of the right hand post. On seventy-one minutes Lee Newton’s shot looked to further reduce the deficit, but Alex Archer made an astonishing save to leap to his right and push the ball around the post.

Five minutes later Danny Charge picked up the ball on the left and found Lee Boylan who thundered a fine first-time shot which Bowditch did incredibly well to save at the expense of a winding. Robbie Martin’s seventy-eighth minute cross was headed just wide by Danny Charge before Joe Bricknall struck the foot of a Sudbury post as Redbridge continued to play attacking football despite their plight.

Dave Cowley crossed brilliantly into Danny Charge whose shot was again saved by the busy Bowditch who made himself big to block the goal-bound ball. Lee Newton was booked for Redbridge following a melee on the right wing. Sudbury capped their fine afternoon when Danny Charge fed the ball to Lee Boylan who quickly released Peter Maina who cut in from the right to finish supremely past Bowditch and put further gloss on the afternoon’s fine work.

A first league win for Sudbury’s injury-ravaged squad since September 1st and a confidence building performance with fine passing and movement throughout the team. This can only bode well for the rest of the season as the injured players gradually make their returns.

report courtesy of www.afcsudbury.com