Nine man Bury Town exit Suffolk Premier Cup

A first half full of promise for Bury Town was followed by a disastrous second half that sent The Blues out of this season's Suffolk Premier Cup.
The early possession went the way of Needham, but it was Bury that got off the mark first. On 6 minutes Bury won a central free kick and Luke Brown hit a beautiful strike that flew past keeper Marcus Garnham and into the roof of the net. On 15 minutes Bury went on the attack and Jose Santa De La Paz got to the edge of the box before his shot was blocked by Kyle Hammond. Needham almost equalised on 24 minutes when Luke Ingram found Tevan Allen in the box but a superb goal line clearance from Oliver Yun kept Bury in front. Jose Santa De La Paz then added a second goal for Bury on 27 minutes when he battled hard to win the ball and went around the keeper to score in the empty net. On 34 minutes a good spell of play from Bury ended with Ollie Sims shooting from distance which went just over the bar. Bury looked good on the counterattack throughout the half as they broke quickly at every opportunity. On 44 minutes Luke Brown went on a run for Bury and got to the edge of the box before Daniel Morphew made the challenge and won the ball back for Needham. On 45 minutes Oliver Yun went on a run down the wing and got inside to put a great cross into the box but with no one close enough the ball went harmlessly across the face of goal. A good half from Bury as they soaked up the pressure from Needham to give themselves a two-goal lead at the break.

Half Time: Needham Market 0 Bury Town 2

A second half to forget for Bury started with keeper Danny Cullum picking up a second yellow card for a poorly timed sliding tackle on 48 minutes. With no keeper on the bench Ethan Mayhew took one for the team and pulled on the keeper’s shirt and went in goal. It was to prove to be the start of the end for Bury. Bury had little choice but to sit very deep and try to hit Needham as quick as possible on the break. On 58 minutes Max Maughn tried to relieve the pressure on Bury by getting down the wing and finding Jose Santa De La Paz with a short pass but Needham quickly won the ball back and went straight on the attack and Callum Page finished in style to pull a goal back for the home side. With Bury fighting hard to keep Needham at bay the Blues were struck another blow when Jose Santa De La Paz picked up his second yellow card on 73 minutes for a reckless challenge and Bury went down to nine men. On 87 minutes a swift attack from Bury saw Cemal Ramadan and Louis Henman Mason link up well and finding Max Maughn who saw his shot pushed around the post by the hand of Marcus Garnham. Bury tried to hold on but Needham were finding space everywhere and with twelve minutes of injury time Needham had the time, stayed focused and were relentless on the attack. The weight in numbers was clear to see as Needham went on to score three times in injury time. Luke Ingram equalising and a brace from Seth Chambers sent Bury out of the Suffolk Premier Cup at the first hurdle. Lots of positives from Bury Town first half but the second half came down to losing their only goalkeeper with the whole second half still to play and a simple fact of player numbers.

Full Time: Needham Market 4 Bury Town 2
The David Longman Man of the Match: Lewis O’Malley
Match Rating: 4
Attendance: Unknown