Marketmen kickstart their season with a deserved win at third attempt!

A clinical performance from Needham Market picks up the Marketmen's first win of the season in a 4-2 win over St Ives Town at Bloomfields, pushing the Marketmen up to ninth into the table after 3 games played. Ahead of the 6th Needham win in eleven meetings with the Ives, which saw Man Of The Match, chosen by match sponsors Ipswich Grab Hire, Patrick Brothers score a audacious brace - including a goal of the season contender, manager Kevin Horlock made one change to Saturday's team that lost to Bromsgrove at Bloomfields, as Seth Chambers started in place of Evan Collard. And the evening got off to the perfect start for the Marketmen, as summer signing Jamie McGrath, who scored 54 goals for SIL Senior Division side East Bergholt United last season, opened his, and Needham's for the new season, account at step 3 with a stunning goal on the turn, in just the sixth minute. McGrath smartly chested down a great long ball from Seth Chambers, from 18-yards out, before unleashing a brilliant low strike in off the inside of the inside of the left-hand post, 1-0 Needham! However, down the other end, the visitors, who had won their previous two games so far this season (2-1 over Bromsgrove Sporting and 5-0 over Stratford Town on Saturday), instantly drew back onto level terms. Nabil Shariff drove forward before finding the back of the net, 1-1. McGrath then almost had a second goal in the space of 7 minutes, a great through-ball looked to pick out the forward sliding in, but the ball was gathered well by the onrushing goalkeeper. It was Needham who had more of the possession, and the better chances throughout, with the latest opportunity arriving in the 21st minute. Ross Crane's dangerous free-kick, on the right-hand edge of the box, was whipped in cleverly towards Seth Chambers, at the back post from close range, forcing an Ives defender to leap highest and flick it behind for a corner. Up the other end meanwhile, the away side had a half chance on the hour mark, goalscorer Shariff met a right wing cross, at the back post, only to see his header towards the bottom left hand corner poked away by Keiran Morphew's outstretched boot. Needham then struck for the second time of the evening just four minutes later with another brilliantly taken goal, with Patrick Brothers backing up his two goals during pre-season by smashing a fantastic strike, from outside the box, into the bottom left-hand corner, 2-1 Needham. It was almost 3-1 though in the 39th minute, albeit this time the woodwork denied Jamie McGrath from what would've been a world class second goal. The forward showed great skill to beat his defender down the right-hand side of the box, only for his fierce strike, towards the top corner, to clatter back into play off the outside of the near post. Fellow summer signing Jacob Lay wasn't far off either from opening his Needham account, the winger ran into space, on the right-hand edge of the box before unleashing a fierce strike agonisingly just wide of the top far corner on 42 minutes. That proved to be the final noteable chance of the opening half, with the Marketmen worthy of their half-time lead. The second half saw the Reds continue with the same intensity, which almost fruited a third goal just four minutes after the restart, Seth Chambers was teed up on the edge of the box, albeit the striker's shot rifled just a centimetre wide of the bottom far, left-hand, corner. A minute later, the striker almost increased Needham's tally to three, again going close, only this time around the striker picked up possession down the left-hand side of the box, although his low shot was fired similarly just wide of the bottom near corner. But the Marketmen did add a deserved third goal in the 52nd minute, courtesy of a goal of the season contender from Patrick Brothers, for his second goal of the night - and third for Needham, since joining in the second half of last season. The midfielder exploited space in style on the edge of the box to curl a sumptuous strike into the top left hand corner, or as commonly referred to these days as top bins, to make it 3-1 Needham! Seven minutes later though, St Ives reduced the hosts' lead back to just a single goal, Callum Milne found space to fire home into the top corner, 3-2. The visitors' hopes of potentially getting anything from the game however were virtually extinguished in the 63rd minute, through a hammered strike from summer signing Ross Crane - which also proved to be the final goal of the six goal-fest. The ex-Ipswich Town player was fed down the right wing by Christian Frimpong, the former then cut inside well onto the central part of the box, where the forward then duly blasted home his maiden Needham goal into the bottom right hand corner, 4-2 Needham! A smart stop from goalkeeper James Goff, albeit somewhat routine, though denied Needham a fifth goal after 69 minutes. Kyle Hammond's long range free-kick fell kindly for goalscorer Crane, whose first shot was blocked, while his second was well held by the diving goalkeeper, down low to his left hand side. Needham at this point were very much on top, albeit clear cut chances then became few and far between, as Jacob Lay fired wide of the target in the 74th minute, prior to McGrath seeing a low shot at goal, from inside the box, cleared away by the foot of Julien Saka, just two minutes later. The final chance of the night meanwhile, fell to the Ives, three minutes before stoppage time, a right wing cross was dangerously headed back across the face of goal, from close range, by an Ives player, although his teammate could only head it wide of the top corner. A much needed three points for Needham, who pick up a well deserved win earlier than the same stage (3 games played) last season, with four times the points tally, thanks to some well worked goals. Needham Market FC:- 1 Marcus Garnham 2 Kyle Hammond 3 Jake Dye 14 Christian Frimpong 5 Keiran Morphew (c) 6 Daniel Morphew 7 Jacob Lay 8 Patrick Brothers 9 Seth Chambers (74' Collard) 10 Jamie McGrath 11 Ross Crane Subs: 12 Evan Collard 15 Taylor Clark 16 Archie Exworth 17 Hugh Cullum St Ives Town FC:- 13 James Goff 2 Julien Saka 3 Johnathan Herd 4 Michael Richens (c) 5 Jordan Williams 6 Callum Milne 7 Gregory Kaziboni 8 Edmund Hottor (56' Cowling) 9 Jonathan Edwards (82' Johnston) 10 Andrew Osei-Bonsu (71' Baker) 11 Nabil Shariff Subs: 14 Kane Lewis 15 Myles Cowling 16 Ethan Johnston 17 Tyrone Baker Booked: Hottor (24'), Garnham (90'+1'). Goals: McGrath (6'), Brothers (34', 52'), Crane (63'); Shariff (8'), Milne (59'). Att: 200.