A solid first half for Brantham with Whitton having the better of the first 20 minutes but Brantham with the upper hand as half-time approached. Joe Graffham went off injured about 10 minutes in with Joe Millar replacing him which because of existing injuries used up the substitution options.

Whitton went ahead 10 minutes into the second half when a cross from the left found a Whitton player unmarked in front of goal for an easy tap-in.

With 10 minutes remaining a ball from the left found a group of three Whitton players on the edge of the area with an easy chance to score, George almost managed to knock the shot over the bar but the ball ricocheted into the top right corner. Within three minutes Joe Millar nodded the ball on in the penalty area and Ed ran onto it and flicked the ball home with the outside of his left foot to complete the scoring.

Some promising moments with everyone playing their part, an extra substitute option would have made a difference with some of the players struggling towards the end. Josh Maloney was moved up front when Joe came off and caused the defence some real problems, James Glen was winning some great flick-ons and the Brantham midfield looked particularly well balanced in the first half. The defence was solid apart from a couple of lapses that were punished by goals, the three new boys all played very well with Tom Singleton being player of the match for an excellent performance as a last-minute stand-in left back.

Kirton 1 Brantham 0

Kirton had the upper hand throughout the first half so it is a tribute to the defence that the half-time score remained 0-0 .

Within the first minute of the second half the ball fell to a Kirton player in the penalty area and his fierce shot was stunningly tipped over the bar with one hand by George. A minute later a corner fell to an unmarked Kirton player who seemed to have an open goal until Josh Whiting appeared from nowhere to slide in and knock the ball out for a corner. Thirteen minutes into the second half James Dorling performed miracles to block what looked to be a certain goal after a rare mistake from Kevin. Nineteen minutes in a Kirton corner on the right was headed into the far corner. Brantham then rallied for the remainder of the half but could not create a real goal threat.

It was a day where Brantham never got into their stride and had to just dig deep and defend desperately at times, the positives were that a lot of players showed some real character, grit and determination,  heads never dropped and they kept themselves in with a chance right up to the final whistle. George had another good game in goal with one particularly amazing save, James Dorling was his usual committed, understated but spectacularly effective self and Kevin Young gave another very confident and assured performance, Josh Bryan showed once again that what he lacks in height he makes up for in ability and bravery - taking a kick in the head (or was he just stood on - he is only two foot tall) and then being on the receiving end of a clattering challenge that forced him off at half time. But man of the match was possibly shaded by Josh Whiting who gave another very good performance on the right wing and then excelled himself when called upon to play at left back - a testimony to his versatility and ability.

Brantham 2 Ransomes 3

Josh Whiting got injured before he even started his was warm up and that should have been taken as the omen for the rest of the morning.

Things started very well with Brantham dominating possession and looking threatening up front. In the 30th minute Jak took a throw in near the edge of the penalty area which Joe Graffham flicked on with his head and Josh Bedingfield ran onto the ball between two defenders and buried the ball in the bottom corner.

Eight minutes into the second half Josh Bedingfield ran onto a through ball down the right and pulled it back superbly to Ed Nobbs on the left who finished comfortably to make it 2-0.  Brantham continued to have good chances but could not convert them, then Ransomes pulled a goal back with 15 minutes remaining when a corner from the right was headed superbly well into the top right corner. In the 37th minute another corner was headed comfortably home and within a minute a hopeful ball over the top of the defence was again headed home.

It was a performance that deserved a better reward, Joe had a couple of one-on-ones, Josh Bryan missed a chance of heading a goal , Kevin and James both blazed over the bar. Man of the match had a few contenders with Ed doing well in a forward role, Josh Bedingfield showed his ability in longer spells and scoring one and setting up the other, but the winner was Kevin Young for an outstanding defensive display, strong and hard in the challenge combined with some superb awareness, vital covering tackles and good heading.

Brantham 1 Martlesham 0

Brantham reorganised at half-time with Josh Whiting moving to right wing and this had immediate effects. Josh went on a marauding run after 10 minutes racing between players and then cutting back to pass another defender before putting a superb cross in which Joe finished (via a deflection apparently) to give Brantham the lead. There were some spasms of superb play from Brantham without a goal including 2 particularly stunning saves from the Martlesham keeper, one from Ed and a superbly struck shot from Joe that was heading for the top corner. Martlesham piled the pressure on towards the end and were unlucky with a shot that struck the post but Brantham hung on for their first victory of the season.

James Dorling and Kevin Young looked solid again, Jason looked good on his first game back, Josh Whiting looked extremely good in the second half and Ed had some tremendous runs including one where he burst through on his own and shot narrowly wide, great credit to James Glen as well who had to move from forward to goalkeeper and kept our first clean sheet of the season!

Framlingham 1 Brantham 4

George and Josh Bryan injured so James Glen continued in goal and Jason Pembroke played at right back. Fifteen minutes in Ed found Josh Bedingfield on the left and he shot low into the far corner with his left foot to give Brantham the lead. Seven minutes later Framlingham equalised after some scrappy defending from Brantham. Towards the end of the half Brantham exerted more pressure but could not capitalise on it.

At half time Jak came on at left back for Tom and after 3 minutes Joe put a cross in from the right which Ed laid neatly back across goal for Josh Whiting to strike hard and low into the left corner to put Brantham back in front. Another ten minutes later Kevin Young floated a free kick into the area and Josh Bedingfield ran onto it and chested it on for Joe Graffham to lift high into the far left corner. Tom was playing up front when Matt pulled up injured and raced onto a good through ball, the keeper saved his shot but Joe crossed the rebound for Ed to score in the right hand side of the goal to complete the scoring.

A very good all round team performance with more prolonged spells of excellent play than in previous games. Unfair to pick players out really when everyone did so well. But Kevin deserves a mention for his professional attitude following what was, at best, a violently crude swing that connected with Kevin's thigh when the ball was out of reach. Ed was excellent on the left as was Josh Whiting on the right, but possibly the best two performances were from Jason Pembroke at right back for some good tackles, some excellent passing and good reading of the game and to Josh Bedingfield for his usual great tackling but also a great work rate and some incredible passing.

Holbrook 2 Brantham 7 (FRIENDLY)

Brantham took the lead after 6 minutes when Luke's throw reached Kevin who beat a defender before driving across the face of goal for Joe Graffham to tap home from close range. Two minutes later Jak found Luke and his pass to Joe was turned across the face of goal for Kevin to strike firmly into the net. The game then went into a bit of a lull before Josh Whiting under-hit a back pass which Holbrook pounced on to make it 1-2.

Nine minutes into the second half Brantham strung together a series of good passes which ended with Kevin finding Ed for a neat finish. In the 17th minute George made a smart save but Holbrook were first to reach the rebound to make the score 2-3. Brantham made it 2-4 with another good move, Luke found Kevin on the right and he beat a defender before passing to Joe on the edge of the area and Joe looped the ball over the keeper with a stylish side foot. In the 32nd minute a corner from Joe allowed Kevin to shoot and then was first to the rebound after the goalkeeper saved to score his second. Three minutes later Ed found Tom who beat 2 players before cutting in and scoring from a very tight angle. With a minute to go Tom cut the ball back for Joe to turn and hit first time to make the final score 2-7.

Brantham 0 Sizewell & Knodishall 2

Nil nil at half time , defence caught out by a ball over the top 17 minutes into the second which left the forward one on one and was slotted low to the right and in the 26th minute Brantham were playing the ball too close in defence and got caught out for the second. A weak team performance with the highlights being James Dorling giving his usual dependable performance, George at times keeping Brantham in the match especially in the second half and James Glen who was probably man of the match in central defence.

Kesgrave 3 Brantham 0

Three minutes in to the game a Kesgrave cross was headed comfortably into the top corner of the net by Josh Bryan for a spectacular own goal and the lead was doubled in the 31st minute. In the 25th minute of the second half the third goal was scored.

Trying to think of some positives - George did nothing wrong and did particularly well to knock a shot that took an incredibly bad bobble over the cross-bar - Paul Robinson take note! James Dorling was as solid as ever but man of the match was Ed Nobbs who was everywhere on the pitch and put some excellent crosses in from open play which Brantham were unable to take advantage of.

Brantham 2 Sizewell & Knodishall 3 (CUP)

Within a minute of the second half Sizewell broke down the right and had time to pick out the cross goal ball for another easy goal. Fifteen minutes later Sizewell extended the lead to 3-1 following a one-on-one. Kevin then tripped a forward in the area and when George did magnificently well to stop his shot the penalty was awarded but this was struck wide. Brantham then exerted more pressure before Jak knocked a ball to Josh Bryan which he swivelled and volleyed into the left corner of the net. Brantham continued to pile on the pressure but could not find the equaliser.

A much, much better team performance with some excellent flowing, passing moves which did not reap there deserved awards, two minutes of sloppy defending either side of half-time were critical. George was man of the match for a stunning double save in the first half, an awesome stop in the penalty build up and some excellent awareness throughout the match to come out when needed.

Whitton B 1 Brantham 3

Fifteen minutes into the second half Joe went on a run down the right and crossed superbly for Ed to score his second.

A good team performance with many good individual performances but man of the match was Jason Dale for a good work rate combined with good ball winning and some stunningly good passes. 

Brantham 1 Felixstowe 3

In the sixth minute a Felixstowe striker found himself clean through with just the goalkeeper to beat but George saved superbly. Brantham had some good moments but Felixstowe took the lead when George knocked a cross to a Felixstowe player who scored into an open goal.

Brantham started the second-half more brightly and seven minutes in Jason's throw was picked up by Joe who knocked a defence splitting ball for Josh Whiting to run onto and smash home very nicely. Within two minutes Felixstowe restored the lead with a free header from a free kick and two minutes later broke away to make it 1-3.

Not a good performance either individually or collectively, very few shots and not enough ball winning, but man-of-the-match was easily George Mayhew for some amazing saves that kept the score respectable.

Bourne Vale 0 Brantham 7

Two minutes in Ed ran through the defence and crossed for Joe to play a one two off the post before following the ball in. In the thirteenth minute Joe turned provider, crossing from the right for James Glen to finish well in the left corner.

Nine minutes into the second half Joe flicked the ball over the goalkeeper and Jason Dale helped the ball over the line - deadly from four inches out! Two minutes later Joe Millar provided an excellent ball for Ed to touch on to Josh Bedingfield who went round a couple of defenders to score low to the left. In the 20th minute Daley crossed superbly but Joe Graffham just failed to get his head to it before Joe Millar followed in at the far side to score his first goal of the season. In the 29th minute Daley rounded the keeper to score his second and Ed scored in the 31st minute from a tight angle to complete the scoring.

Man of the match went to Joe Millar for a tireless display of running, some excellent distribution and scoring a goal.

Whitton A 5 Brantham 1

Seven minutes in Brantham had an excellent passing move between the three Joshes, Bryan, Whiting and then Bedingfield setting up Jason Dale who smashed the ball into the top left corner to make it 2-1. Whitton added another 3 minutes later  followed by 2 more to make it 5-1.

Some good performances despite the result, Jason did well at left back, and James Dorling and Kevin did well in central defence, Josh Bedingfield had a good game but Daley probably stole the show with some good challenges, some superb passing capped by a stunning strike for the goal.

Ransomes 4 Brantham 2

In the 15th minute Tom Singleton won a free kick which Kevin Young superbly knocked over the defence for Joe Graffham to run onto and lift neatly over the keeper to give Brantham the lead. Within a minute Ransomes knocked a dangerous ball across goal which deflected off James Dorling to level the scores. In the 33rd minute Josh Whiting chased back well but his attempted clearance fell straight to a Ransomes player for an easy goal.

Twenty eight minutes in Ransomes took a 3-1 lead with a close range tap-in. In the 33rd minute another free kick was forced home by James Glen from close in but then Ransomes scored another goal within a minute.

The result did not really reflect the whole story with Brantham looking good at times but suffering from individual mistakes which were heavily punished. Tom did well at right back and Daley gave another whole-hearted performance, James Glen put himself about well and caused problems for their defence  but possibly Jason Pembroke took man-of-the-match for an accomplished performance at left back followed by a good spell as an enforced right winger.  

Brantham 5 Witnesham 1 (Plate competition)

In the 5th minute Daley knocked a pass through for Ed to chase onto and slot home. Five minutes later Luke Catchpole put a ball through for Joe Graffham to race onto and round the keeper to tap in. In the 14th minute Jak unleashed a ferocious drive from 30 yards out which the keeper did well to tip over the bar. In the 30th minute Joe Graffham took a corner from the right which Kevin Young ran onto at the near post to volley sweetly to make it 3-0.

In the 14th minute Ed did well on the left and found Josh Bryan who made an excellent pass for Josh Bedingfield to latch onto and finish comfortably. After 21 minutes Joe Graffham took a throw-in to Ed who crossed low from the left and Matt slid in to score within minutes of his comeback starting. Witnesham scored from close in 2 minutes later.

Another patchy game with some good play interspersed with some sloppy moments. Daley did well in midfield and Ed ran his socks off, Kevin and James looked solid as usual.

Brantham 0 Kirton 2

Kirton arrived with a 100% record so far this season and might have been expecting an easy day but it was far from that. Brantham looked sharp and keen throughout the first half and more than matched the away team in terms of chances, Brantham having 2 goals disallowed for off side to Kirton's one!

Kirton took the lead 6 minutes into the second half when a cross from the right was tapped in from close range as the defence was stretched. The second came in the thirtieth minute for another easy tap in when the defence was once again stretched on the counter-attack.

Brantham's performance was excellent throughout the entire match from every player and just lacked a bit of luck in front of goal, Joe had a free kick that swerved just wide of the post, George made one stunning tip over from a shot that was flying into the top corner, Jason did well at left back and Josh Bryan did superbly well in a David and Goliath contest at right back. The movement, passing, commitment and passion were outstanding and if it can be carried forward, will undoubtedly bring results in the remaining games.

Man of the match - every player.

Brantham 3 Framlingham 1

The first goal came in the 18th minute when Kevin Young made a superb pass through to Tom Singleton who touched it around the advancing keeper. In the 35th minute Kevin's free kick triggered a game of ping-pong in the Framlingham area with James Glen having two shots blocked before Josh Whiting forced the ball home. In the final minute Framlingham pulled a goal back in a goal-mouth scramble following a corner.

In the 11th minute Daley passed to Ed Nobbs on the corner of the area and Ed unleashed a superb shot that gave the keeper no chance. In the 22nd minute Daley did superbly well to head a goal bond shot off the line and then George was extremely brave - diving at the feet of an attacker to grab the ball.

Brantham were a bit patchy but with some longer spells of good football at the start of the second half. A lot of good chances were missed , Joe had a couple, Daley had a chance, Kev went close a couple of times from distance and Ed missed two easier chances before scoring his goal. Overall a good performance with Jason Pembroke doing well at Left back and Josh Bedingfield dominating in mid-field.

Brantham 11 St. Johns 1 (Plate Competition)

Brantham took the lead in the second minute when Josh Whiting knocked a ball into the box, Matt Longson headed it on for Ed Nobbs to nip in front of the keeper and score. Five minutes later Josh Bedingfield played a superb pass for Ed to run onto and score in the bottom right corner. In the tenth minute Josh Bedingfield set Ed up again to complete his hat-trick. In the 28th minute St. Johns broke down the right and the cross was neatly turned in to make it 3-1. Ed then scored his fourth after being picked out by Jason Dale.

The score remained 4-1 until the 20th minute of the second half when Joe Millar's shot was saved, Tom Singleton's shot from the rebound was saved and then Matt Longson bundled that deflection over the line. Five minutes later Josh Bryan put Tom Singleton through and he scored low and hard in the left hand corner. In the 32nd minute Jason Pembroke crossed from the left to find Jak Finch unmarked and his shot flew into the net off the near post for his first ever goal. Jason Pembroke again ran down the left in the 35th minute and crossed for Tom to score his second. Two minutes later Jason Pembroke broke down the left again and crossed for Josh Whiting to hit a perfect volley which the goalkeeper managed to block before Josh Bedingfield scored from the rebound. Josh Bedingfield then picked out Tom and he completed his hat-trick before Josh Whiting completed the scoring.

Sizewell & Knodishall 3 Brantham 1

Brantham started the match without their normal goalkeeper and without either centre-back which did not bode well against a team in second place in the league but any worries were soon dispelled with a first-half performance where everybody worked their socks off and played some great football without managing to get their just rewards in front of goal. Brantham finally took the lead just before half-time when a corner from Joe was guided into the far corner by Daley's knee.

In the second half Sizewell came back into it and scored in the 23 rd minute when a ball over the top was lifted over James Glen's head, a second was adde3d in the 35th minute and the third came at the end as Brantham committed players forward. Brantham had to play out the end of the match with just ten men due to a couple of injuries and the lack of substitutes.

A good performance from the whole team who dominated for long spells and have played a lot worse and won this season. James Glen once more cane to the team's aid by going in goal and gave his usual accomplished performance, Matt and Jason looked as if they had played together at centre half regularly although it was there first time, Daley looked good in midfield and had a couple of shots, one of which flashed narrowly over from some distance out. Tom made some superb breaks down the left in the first half. But man of the match went to Jason Pembroke for an commanding game at centre-half with some great tackling and awareness along with some good passing out of defence.

Brantham 1 Holbrook 4

Another game with Brantham dominating the first half completely in terms of possession and with some stylish, flowing football but could not score. In fact the highlight of the first half came from George when he dived across goal to get got a strong hand to a vicious shot and knocked the ball over the bar- save of the season by a mile!

Within a minute of the re-start George blocked another ferocious shot when Holbrook broke through but in the second minute Holbrook took the lead with a well-taken lob. In the 14th minute Holbrook made it 2-0 and then Ed could only knock a ball into his own net in the 16th minute to make it 3-0. In the 30th minute George's kick was flicked on by Matt and Joe took it round the keeper to give Brantham a glimmer of hope which was dashed when Holbrook added the fourth a minute later.

A mad couple of minutes killed the game in the second half and the inability to convert good chances into goals during a rampant first half.

Brantham 3 Whitton Reserves 0

For 36 minutes it was a case of deja-vu with Brantham creating chances but not being able to put the ball in the net until a long ball was knocked into the area by Luke and as Ed seemed to be waiting ages for it to come down he buried it neatly into the back of the net as defenders closed him down to make it 1-0 at half time.

Brantham were now playing with a bit more confidence and in the eighth minute Ed ran down the left and his shot/cross went in at the near post as Joe closed in on it. In the 26th minute a corner from Kevin was cleared to the edge of the area where James Glen, with his back to goal, looped the ball back over his head and into the net to complete the scoring.

A good result although Brantham have played better and lost! Ed worked as hard as usual and scored 2 goals (decision of the judicator was that the second goal was Ed's). Luke did well at right-back and Jason had another excellent game at left-back, George was commanding although his hands let him down on one occasion and Josh Bedingfield put in some extremely impressive tackles, but James Glen was man of the match playing out of position in midfield he worked extremely hard, was challenging for everything, made some good passes and scored a great goal. 

Felixstowe & Walton 5 Brantham 0

Brantham's unpredictable Jekyll & Hyde form was combined with a touch of Frankenstein's monster to produce a real horror show. Anything that could go wrong did go wrong in the first half with goals conceded in the 9th, 14th, 39th and 40th minutes.

The fifth was added 28 minutes into the second half. Looking for positives Brantham must be due an outstanding performance for the last game of the season against Kesgrave on Friday 20th April to make up for this display - watch this space - it would be better than watching this game.

The last game of the season was played under floodlights which added to the atmosphere of the match. In the third minute James Glen knocked a superb pass for Ed Nobbs to run onto down the left and he cut inside to score under the diving keeper.

In the third minute of the second half Kevin Young took a free kick 20 yards out, which he did not really catch hold of and as he turned away in disgust the shot somehow found it's way into the net. In the typical Brantham fashion of not making things easy for themselves or their supporters the opposition pulled a goal back five minutes later  with a well taken goal. From then on the game could have gone either way before Ed played an excellent ball through which Matt Longson burst onto and left defenders trailing in his wake as he raced through before finishing stylishly and put the result beyond doubt.

The result was not a true reflection of the game, both sides played some excellent football. Brantham had some passages of play that oozed class and the boys were battling for everything throughout the game and everyone played their part. It is almost unfair to pick out some players over others but James Dorling and Kevin Young were outstanding in central defence, Josh Bedingfield was everywhere in midfield, Joe showed some extra muscle to go with his usual clever play and Ed Nobbs was running for the entire game, beating players, winning tackles, setting up chances, hitting the post and scoring a goal, but despite all of these great performances I thought the player whose performance was most key was George Mayhew with some great handling, vital saves, good distribution and some incredibly determined and brave goalkeeping that kept Brantham in the game.