NEFC - 13.11.2010
North Elmham 2 - 3 Wendling
Joy turned to despair for North Elmham in the 3rd round of the Ben Smith Memorial Cup as they threw away a two goal half-time cushion to lose against fellow Division 3 side Wendling.
Both sides started brightly in a tightly contested opening, but chances were at a premium and both sides were restricted to long range strikes, the most notable of which was Chris Scase's powerful half volley which struck a post. However, it was North Elmham who struck first in the 25th minute, with Chris Fuller's angled strike finding the back of the net via a deflection.
The game continued in a similar vein until the second goal in the 39th minute. Louis Rutherford doubled the home side's lead with a powerful long range effort which left the Wendling 'keeper with no chance.
Elmham were looking comfortable against a flat yet hard-working Wendling side going into the break, but were rocked just 5 minutes into the second half when a Wendling free-kick into the box found it's way to the visitor's no. 7 who made no mistake from close range.
Elmham had a chance to restore their 2 goal cushion on the hour mark when Chris Fuller was upended in the penalty area; however, the vistor's keeper made an excellent save to deny Richard Mallet, and the tide turned from that point onwards.8 minutes later, the Wendling no. 14 restored equilibrium in the scoreline, and 12 minutes from time the comeback was complete when a terrible mix up in the Elmham resulted in the no. 9 scoring Wendling's third, which despite late, desperate Elmham pressure, proved to be the winner. Credit to Wendling who never gave up, and good luck in the next round.
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