Thurlow Nunn Premier: Thetford Town 5-1 Cornard United

13th September 2025

Thetford Town vs Cornard United @ The Lomax Spiral Systems Stadium - Thetford

Thurlow Nunn Premier Division (Step 5)

15:00 KO

£8 entry

Attendance - 155

Half-time score: Thetford Town 2-1 Cornard United

Goals:

Thetford Town: King - 6'

Thetford Town: Ebanks-Blake - 10'

Cornard United: Soraf - 29'

Thetford Town: H. Lott - 47', 65'

Thetford Town: Poskitt (OG) - 76'

Final Score: Thetford Town 5-1 Cornard United

I've unfortunately missed the past three Thetford Town games for a variety of reasons, but in this period Thetford travelled to the coast twice, losing narrowly to Great Yarmouth Town, but thumping Heacham 6-2 before extending their winning streak to 2 games with a 3-1 win at home against Hadleigh United. In these games, Diggens bagged 4 goals and Ebanks-Blake 3, so hopefully this is the start of a blossoming partnership. Today saw the visit of Cornard United, a team that has been struggling this season, summed up a fortnight ago when they had to abandon a game mid-way through due to a lack of on-field players. Thankfully they put a team together last week and even recorded their first win, so hopefully their fortunes are on the up. This is a big opportunity for Thetford Town to get 3 more points on the board with a tricky run of fixtures on the horizon, so I was hoping that they would not be taking today's opponents lightly.

Today's programme had midfield maestro Callum Olpin on the front cover, who has been phenomenal this season so far.

It was an afternoon that saw all seasons in a short space of time, sunshine and blue skies, torrential but brief downpours and even hail. Out onto what was initially a dry pitch, Thetford Town lined up in claret and blue with Cornard United in their home blue and white stripes.

KEY MOMENTS

TT = Thetford Town

CU = Cornard United

6' - TT - GOAL (1-0) - Early goal for Thetford Town, Wells in an advanced position crosses the ball in from the left, Ebanks-Blake rises high but the defender gets his head on the ball first, it drops to King on the edge of the box, he hits a side-footed volley and it flies into the left of the goal, great finish from Kingy!

10' - TT - GOAL (2-0) - Some sloppy play from Cornard at the back, Ebanks-Blake pounces on the loose ball and drills it into the net, what a start from Town.

23' - CU - The hosts with their first good chance of the game, Soraf on the left shows great skill to beat the defender, he drives the ball across the box and a Cornard player looks in at the near-post, but a Thetford defender get a limb on the ball first to turn it out for a corner.

24' - TT - Thetford attack down the left, the ball is lost but is met by Buttle on the edge of the box, he fires in a cross-goal strike that is deflected just wide of the far-post.

29' - CU - GOAL (2-1) - The visitors pull one back, a long ball forward is neatly picked up by Soraf in the box, he turns and shoots and his efforts is fired in off the post, game on!

30' - TT - King with a deft touch in the middle of the park sets Ebanks-Blake through on goal, he is 1-on-1 but his effort is fired at Catley for the save.

40' - TT - King slides Ebanks-Blake through again, this time Catley is out fast to close down the space and saves Ebanks-Blake's effort.

42' - TT - Thetford Town are awarded a free-kick in a perfect position. Olpin steps up to take it and hits the ball superbly, it is curling in but Catley gets across to make a diving save, pushing the ball out for a corner with his fingertips, great save!

45'+1' - TT - From an Olpin corner, Wells rises high and directs his header to the bottom right corner, but it is cleared off the line, so close!

47' - TT - GOAL (3-1) - Thetford with the perfect start to the 2nd half, a long ball from Wells down the left releases Olpin, he drops his shoulder to round the defender and cuts in at the byline, before evading another challenge and squaring the ball into the far-post where Harvey Lott is on hand to tap the ball in from close range, and thus restoring their 2-goal cushion.

52' - TT - Jaydyn Lott and Grove link up well down the right, a neat piece of play sets Grove through on goal but his effort is drilled just wide of the goal.

53' - Harvey Lott into Ebanks-Blake in the middle on the edge of the box, he tries a curled strike, it is struck well and looks good but Catley makes a fine diving save to push the ball out for a corner.

54' - TT - A neat 1-2 between Buttle and Harvey Lott in the box, Buttle unleashes a powerful left-footed drive that skims just over.

56' - CU - Cornard break through substitute Mateta down the right, he squares the ball, a effort comes in and is blocked by a Thetford player and somehow Cornard are unable to score, big let off for Thetford.

58' - TT - Buttle blazes down the left and crosses the ball into the box, Harvey Lott with a decent header at the far-post, the keeper saves and the ball drops to Ebanks-Blake, but from 5yrds out he smashes the ball into the crossbar, should have been 4 for the hosts.

59' - CU - SIN BIN - Cornard counter-attack but the move breaks down, and in the aftermath Cornard United captain Scott Kemp receives a yellow card for dissent and has to sit on the bench for the next 10 minutes.

62' - TT - A neat turn from substitute Money in the middle of the park, he plays in Harvey Lott , and from the right he is 1-on-1 with keeper Catley, the effort comes in but the keeper makes another fine save to deny Thetford, conceding a corner in the process.

65' - TT - GOAL (4-1) - Thetford finally get that all important 3-goal cushion, Money and Ebanks-Blake pressure the keeper, he is dispossessed and despite an attempted clearance the ball rolls into the path of Harvey Lott and he smashes it into the net.

76' - TT - GOAL (5-1) - Thetford now cruising get their 5th, substitute Laker with a neat ball to release Buttle down the left, he sprints forward and drills the ball across goal into the danger area, it is heading to the open Ebanks-Blake but a defender gets a leg on the ball and directs it into the net for an own-goal, did not see who but was either the 5, 6 or 16.

80' - TT - Buttle causing havoc again on the left flank, a sustained attack ends with Buttle lashing a shot into the post and out from close range.

A fine and overall comfortable win from Thetford Town sees them rise back up to the top of the table, albeit somewhat artificially having played 1 or 2 games more than rivals behind them (3 more than Mulbarton Wanderers who are still in the FA Cup). Nevertheless, it is points on the board and Thetford Town created hat-fulls of chances this afternoon, where they should have scored at least 8 in reality, and this was despite missing their top scorer George Diggens, so positive signs. Cornard United are clearly a side struggling but they had some decent moments and put up a strong fight, running out of steam by the end, but shoutout to keeper Catley whose series of fine saves kept the score down for the visitors. Thetford Town's run of games in the near-future is looking tough, so hopefully they can keep creating lots of chances, increasing their conversion rate if they wish to stay at the summit to the league. Dereham Town away is up next, a quirk of the fixtures as this is the 2nd league game between these two sides already at this early stage. Will be a tough one but Thetford Town returned down the A1075 last year with all 3-points, so hopefully they can do it again, UP THE TOWN!!!

Line-Ups:

THETFORD TOWN: Harry Sutton, Josh Wells, Jaydyn Lott, Sam Bond (C), Jake Mann, Cameron King, Callum Olpin, Jordan Buttle, Dylan Grove, Antwan Ebanks-Blake, Harvey Lott. SUBS: Adam Laker, Kieran Money, Matt Morton.

CORNARD UNITED: Jack Catley, Joe Marsh, Mo Hashemi, Toby Robinson, Luis Berkane, Daniel Norris, Logan Green, Lewis Soraf, Tyler Kemp, Scott Kemp (C), Jack Cosby. SUBS: Schilo Mateta Kanda, Ben Monteith-Weed, Luke Wilson, Harry Poskitt, Ben Loftus.