Thurlow Nunn Premier: Thetford Town 2-1 Woodbridge Town

6th December 2025

Thetford Town vs Woodbridge Town @ The Lomax Spiral Systems Stadium - Thetford

Thurlow Nunn Premier (Step 5)

15:00 KO

£8 entry

Attendance - 180

Half-time score: Thetford Town 0-1 Woodbridge Town

Goals:

Woodbridge Town: Costa - 45'+2'

Thetford Town: King - 65'

Thetford Town: Ebanks-Blake - 66'

Final Score: Thetford Town 2-1 Woodbridge Town

Another wet weekend, and another week with local cancellations but the Mundford Road pitch stood firm yet again, testament to the efforts put into ground. Today saw Thetford Town host Woodbridge Town, in the reverse of the opening game of the season, a game that saw Thetford Town kick-off their season with an impressive 3-0 away win. It is fair to say that Woodbridge Town had a slow start to the season, but with 7 wins and a draw in the past 10 league games they were only 5 points behind Thetford, and a form team, so it was going to be much tougher than the opening game. With the news of Thetford signing Elliot Pride, Harry Sutton has exited the club, moving across to Harleston Town to cover for his brother who is injured. Harry done well in his short time with us, shame to see him leave, but I hope Elliot Pride can put in some big performances as the new main man between the sticks.

Today's programme has Thetford Town club captain and legend Sam Bond on the front cover, Thetford through-and-through and adored by the home fans.

Despite the deluges of Friday night the game remained largely dry bar a shower in the first half, and was relatively mild. The teams lined up in front of the expectant crowd, Thetford Town in claret and blue, with Woodbridge Town in their home black and white stripes.

KEY MOMENTS

TT = Thetford Town

WT = Woodbridge Town

6' - TT - RED CARD - A high ball in the middle of the park, Josh Wells comes in with a strong aerial challenge, the Woodbridge player goes down and the referee quickly shows the Thetford Town centre-back a red card. The challenge was not worth a red, so I can only presume there were some afters to cause the red? Either way, Thetford were facing over 85 minutes with just 10-men, a disastrous start for The Brecklanders.

15' - WT - From a Woodbridge corner the ball eventually squirts out to Higgs lurking on the edge of the box, but he blazes his effort over.

19' - TT - Billy Batch with a searching cross from the left, it finds Buttle in the middle and he hits a side-footed volley first time, but it is straight down the throat of keeper Hurst for a relatively comfortable save, but a promising move from the 10-man home side.

34' - TT - Thetford attack through Buttle and he finds Olpin in the box, he goes to turn and shoot but is taken out by the defender, strong shout for a penalty but nothing given.

36' - TT - Billy Batch with another incredible ball in from the left, it is whipped in at pace and looks to have found the run of Jake Mann, but from close range he is unable to get something on the ball and it flashes harmlessly past the goal, but what a ball!

44' - TT - Despite being the team down a player the home side continue to create the better chances. Olpin with the ball in the middle and the space opens up for him as the defenders track the runners, he strides forwards and powers in an effort from 25yrds out, well-struck but just beyond the top-right corner.

45'+2' - WT - GOAL (0-1) - In stoppage time, Woodbridge take the lead just before the break. A ball is whipped into the far-post from the right, it evades the player closest to goal but drops to Costa who picks up the ball, takes it forwards and from a narrow angle lashes the ball into the top-right corner beyond the outstretched Pride, great finish. Could Thetford come back from this with only 10-men?

49' - TT - Buttle with the ball on the left side of the box, he twists and turns before drilling in a strike at the near-post, but Hurst is equal to it to beat it away.

55' - TT - King lays the ball back to Olpin and from the edge of the box he hits another well-struck effort towards the bottom left, but Hurst gets down well to bat the ball around the post, but the home team looking for that equaliser.

58' - TT - A short corner routine worked between King and Olpin, they manage to slip Buttle through, he evades the challenge and powers in a strike at the near-post, but Hurst is yet again equal to the effort.

65' - TT - GOAL (1-1) - Thetford finally score a well-deserved equaliser! After a foul on the edge of the box, Thetford maestro Cameron King steps up and hits a perfect free-kick into the top-right corner, a goal of the highest order indeed and the crowd goes absolutely wild!

66' - TT - GOAL (2-1) - Buttle the catalyst down the left, he has the Woodbridge defence reeling, shoots and the effort is saved but palmed into the path of Ebanks-Blake, he tries to turn the ball in but his effort is defended off the line, but it falls back to him and on his second go he is able to dig the ball over the line, to complete an outrageous 2-minute turnaround with 10-men and Mundford Road is absolutely rocking!

72' - TT - Thetford firmly in the ascendancy, they break again through Buttle, he sees Ebanks-Blake sprinting forwards from the right and slides him in, he takes the ball into the box and hits a venomous strike at the near-post, but it rises just beyond the top-right corner, so close!

79' - TT - Thetford with another free-kick in a dangerous position, this one on the right side of the box. Billy Batch steps up and shows his class with a knuckle-ball, it rises over the wall, dips and swerves, but Hurst is able to get a fingertip on it to nudge it over the bar, almost another world-class goal from The Brecklanders!

82' - WT - A ball into the box takes a wild deflection and is heading into the roof of the net, but Pride jumps high to catch the ball, fine reactions from the new Thetford Town No.1.

90' - TT - Thetford break, King turns his man inside-out and looks through on goal, but he is dragged back by Wiggins. The referee stops play for the foul and dishes out the yellow card, taking one for the team as it looked like Thetford were through to put the game beyond alll doubt.

Thetford Town show tremendous guts and determination to win this game against an inform Woodbridge Town. Such was the level of their play it actually looked like it was Woodbridge Town who were down to 10-men, the visitors unable to capitalise on their advantage, looking mostly sluggish and lacklustre. After the early red I was thinking 'here-we-go', but it seemed to raise the Thetford Town players intensity a few notches and they were relentless, putting in a huge shift for over 85 minutes. It is hard to pick out star players as all gave a 9/10 performance or higher, Billy Batch showed his class on the left today, Jake Mann was tireless in the middle, Harvey Lott did not stop running, captain Elliot Smith marshalled the makeshift defence with aplomb, Pride was assured between the sticks, Buttle tore the Woodbridge backline to shreds , Ebanks-Blake was a physical threat all game, with King and Olpin at their majestic best. Grove and Diggens off the bench also matched the intensity of the game, not easy to do. The only negatives of this game were the red card which will leave Thetford exposed at the back without Wells, and the injury to Haylett, I seriously hope it is something minor. That was easily the best TTFC performance of the year, and The Lomax Spiral Systems Stadium was rocking in scenes not seen for a while, and all this with a depleted squad! Thetford Town with 3 wins on the bounce, can they make this 4 on-the-road as they head to the coast to face Kirkley & Pakefield, if they play like today surely they can, UP THE TOWN!!!

Line-Ups:

THETFORD TOWN: Elliot Pride, Ryan Haylett, Billy Batch, Jake Mann, Josh Wells, Jordan Buttle, Cameron King, Elliot Smith (C), Harvey Lott, Antwan Ebanks-Blake, Callum Olpin. SUBS: George Diggens, Daniel Rayner, Theo Piggott, Kushinga Benyu, Dylan Grove.

WOODBRIDGE TOWN: Toby Hurst, Ryan Marsh, Ivanildo Costa, Jamal Wiggins, Sean Rea (C), Kris Rose, Taylor Southgate, Andrew Crowe, Liam Ablitt, Conner Field, Laurence Higgs. SUBS: Nassir Dines-Ferrarge, Jesse Smith.