Stamford Sound In Survival Scrap

Stamford 3-2 AFC Sudbury (Southern League Central Division)

I’m back at Stamford, after watching them last Tuesday at Harborough where I thought they did ok against high spending promotion pushers in 2-0 defeat, they since beat Worcester City 1-0 at the weekend, Jack Duffy scoring on his return, he had a 20 match ban after an altercation with a fan earlier this season, oh how the Daniels have missed him.

Bottom of the table on 16 points, Sudbury are only a couple of places above Stamford in the drop zone, they have 21 points but have a crisis at centre half, they have scored plenty, 31 in 25 games (as opposed to Stamford’s 14 in 23) but it’s at the other end which has let them down, 63 goals already conceded this season, they have both their main defenders missing tonight with two midfielders asked by Manager Tom Austin to ‘do a job’ for the team.

I don’t really know much about AFC Sudbury. A quick wiki search tells me they formed in 1999 due to an amalgamation with Sudbury Town and Sudbury Wanderers, starting in the Eastern Counties before moving to the Isthmian then Southern League and Isthmian again, they are in their third season in the Southern League Central Premier Division after promotion from the Isthmian First Division North in 2023.

Stamford are also in their third season at this level after promotion from the Northern Premier League Midlands in 2023, they finished seventh in their first campaign and only just missed out on the playoffs last season finishing sixth in the table two points below the cut, this season is very much about survival with Graham Drury’s side nine points adrift of safety.

I’m out the door as soon as the wife gets back from her work jolly in Wales, it’s 6pm and Stamford is an hour away, so it’s no surprise when I hit traffic on the A52, but I make it in good time, a good forty minutes before kick-off, taking the A1 down to Great Casterton before bouncing along some country roads and pulling up at Borderville Sports Centre, home of the Zeeco Stadium and a rather nice looking fitness club, on the north west tip of town.

The Venue

The car park is stacked, but I find a nice grassy verge to pull up on before walking over to the turnstile where I’m charged £13 to enter, the players just starting to come out and warm up as I find a seat on the top row of the modern looking stand, just five or six levels up near four or five flip down tables for press.

I’m the only one in the stand, but a gentleman soon walks by before introducing himself, he’s a volunteer for Rutland & Stamford Sound, the local radio station reporting on tonight’s game, his name is Huw, and he has a passion for grassroots football, venturing down the local levels to report on football and cricket, we get talking and it turns out he commentated for Peterborough United for seven years on their annual DVD, and more impressively, he commentated on Bunbury’s celebrity cricket matches for 27 years, the famous club which has earned over £12m for various charities, is sadly no more, but there’s been some fantastic stories from them over the years, Huw tells me his personal favourite was when Rory Bremner joined him in the commentary box and started doing impressions.

Back to football, I tell Huw ‘I miss the old ground’ at Kettering Road but we agree this place is a fantastic facility, modern made from 2014 it has a covered stand behind the goal with a noisy home support slowly filling up, this covered seated area we are in is obstructed only by the floodlighting poles in front, the rest of the ground is open walkways with a big video scoreboard to my opposite right, the changing facilities in a nice brick built club house which sides on to the huge sports centre, behind that you can see a 3g pitch which has lads on it playing five-a-side tonight.

The Game

Chatting away, I hardly notice the time fly but suddenly the teams appear, it’s a cold old night with a breeze, Stamford in all red, Sudbury yellow and blue, the home team come out of the blocks buoyed by their win at Worcester, front foot looking for an opener as Sudbury sit off, they are on a losing streak of four having conceded eleven in those games.

It’s my first viewing of them so I don’t really know who’s who? Young goalkeeper Jack Munson deals well with a couple of balls looped into his domain, left back Jacob Goredema is small in size but packed with forward running punch, he’s a powerful little player, in fact the Suds have a lot of little players, no17 Marcel Lewis is tiny in midfield but with some real technical talent.

Stamford I do know a bit about, they are pushing forward down their right where Marzano and Armstrong combine well, the game ebbs and flows from Stamford’s early pushing to Sudbury suddenly on top, but slightly against the run of play, Stamford take the lead, a neat move, Duffy wide to Marzano who crosses low, Leon Lobjoit running in hits towards the keeper who can’t keep out, the home crowd cheer with just half an hour played.

The Score

Not much more happens in the first half, Sudbury have sniffs, Stamford go close on a couple of occasions, it’s evenly matched with neither defence impressing, the away side have a high line and there’s multiple offsides “that’s what you get when you ask midfielders to play at the back” I tell Huw.

You expect more goals in the second half and it’s Sudbury who strike first, Marcel Lewis is around thirty yards out, he lets fly with little pressure and loops a beauty above and beyond Tom Jackson, a goal out of nothing, and all of a sudden the Stamford wheels have fallen off.

Less than a minute later, Callum Page is dancing into the box, “they could get another one here” I tell Huw, and they do, it’s two, the bright blonde haired leggy midfielder has been dangerous down the left all night, he cuts in and shoots low to give Sudbury the lead, their fans all of a sudden show some voice, the tables very much turned.

That goal stifles Stamford some more and you feel it might dent their confidence but after a couple of replacements, a corner is forced, swung in, and stabbed home on the hour, Jack Duffy has been relatively quiet tonight, but the slightly out of shape looking number nine still remembers where the net is, 20 games on the sidelines, 2 games back, his second in as many matches.

Suddenly it’s Stamford with their mojo and Leon Lobjoit goes close to grabbing his second, before he does, the gazelle like Kai Sanchez-Tonge has been impressive since coming off the bench, he gets into the danger zone before crossing low for Lobjoit who fires home before racing away in celebration, the crowd go wild as this one looks surely like the winner.

There’s still twenty to play but Stamford look the stronger of the two teams with a bit more depth helped by a better bench, 40-year-old Jon Challinor now pulling the strings in midfield, they get bodies behind the ball and make things difficult whilst looking dangerous themselves on the break, Sudbury are neat and intricate in the final third, but cannot forge any openings of note, the best chance late on at the other end where Munson flies to flick over from Duffy brilliantly.

The Stars

It’s a night where you feel both sides gave it their all, but Stamford had that bit more belief, that bit more in depth. Charlie Marzano is a right back I like, bombing on down the wing, he actually played more in advance of Mikey Armstrong down the right tonight, he started well, but faded, and was replaced by Kai Sanchez-Tonge who gave Sudbury something different to deal with.

I like George Hobbins in midfield, sticking his body in where it hurts, Jack Keeble doing the same, sat just in front of the back four, whilst the two strikers, combining well, were the real difference on the night. Leon Lobjoit is a new signing who got his first two goals for the club, Jack Duffy an old returnee who grabbed his second in as many matches. Duffy looks a bit like an Aussie Rules player, crap mullet hair and tash, shorts pulled up, socks rolled down, a slight belly but he uses his size to advantage, works hard as the number nine to ruffle a few feathers and wins his share of duals, he also more importantly knows where the net is. Whilst Duffy stays in a relatively similar position throughout the ninety minutes, Lobjoit besides him is full of running, good movement trying to pull away from markers, getting involved and sometimes taking too many touches, he’s a livewire forward who’s come to Stamford with a point to prove, he’s had more clubs than Colin Montgomery but I wonder is that because they all know he has the talent, I hope his form continues but I anticipate a drop off at some point, which could lead to him on the move again? I hope I’m wrong though, I hope he’s found his home at the Zeeco.

For Sudbury, their young goalkeeper Jack Munson pulled off a fabulous late save and dealt well with crosses, kicked fairly well, apparently out of the sides Academy he’s a big lad and has a big future ahead of him.

Much smaller in size, with equally as big a future is their left back Jacob Goredema, just eighteen years old but one of the best players on show, fast and fit he flew down the wing on occasion and was gritty in combat, I don’t think he’ll be playing at this level for very long.

Also diminutive but decent was 24-year-old former Chelsea youth midfielder Marcel Lewis, he was trying to make things happen with subtle intricate forward play, threading balls through from central areas, his finish for his goal of only those with quality can do.

I also liked the look of Callum Page, tall and leggy with decent hips, zig-zagging his way to goal, Mekhi McKenzie put himself about a bit up front when he came on, and special mention to Jake Turner asked to play at the back in unfamiliar territory, he had a tough night but gave 110% and he looks like the sort of player you need when battling against a relegation fight.

The Verdict

The win gives Stamford a glimmer of hope, had they lost it would have been a very big bridge to try and cross, but they are now just six points below the safety cut off over the other side of the river, two below Sudbury who had they won themselves, might have bridged their own gap on those above.

Stamford face Needham Market next, which will be tough, before travelling to fellow relegation candidates Alvechurch who they’ll be trying to get within touching distance too, whilst Sudbury are at Kettering then Real Bedford, if they get anything from either, it’ll be seen as positive steps forward.

One of the two I think will certainly go down, potentially even both, do Stamford have too much to do? Well, the goals of Lobjoit and Duffy will certainly help, but the gap is still wide on those above, if they can stay unbeaten in their next couple of matches, or at least beat Alvechurch in a weeks’ time, then it might give them a real chance of survival.

The Teams

Stamford: Tom Jackson, Charlie Marzano (Kai Sanchez-Tonge 61), Joshua Carvallo (Jon Challinor 61), Jack Keeble, Jordan Cooke, Alex Collard, Mickey Armstrong (Aaron Cashmore 84), George Hobbins, Jack Duffy, Leon Lobjoit, Ryan Wilson.

AFC Sudbury: Jack Munson, Jacob Goredema, Jake Turner, Ellis Lawson (Kaidon Tower-King 71), Callum Page (Jackson Chukwu-Nsofor 77), Jenson Mulqueen (Sam Cox 90), Liam Pearce (Adam Tilson 89), Finlay Corrigan, Marcel Lewis, Kien Connolly, Theo Hudson (Mekhi McKenzie 70).

7:45pm Kick Off. Tuesday 20th January 2025, Borderville, Stamford (att 278).