Tom Wardle reports, Manager Stewart Larter slammed his players and warned that changes are likely as The Yachstmen failed to spark as they lost 3-0 at Trafford Park against Heybridge Swifts. A relegation battle awaits if improvement is now shown quickly.

The Wroxham starting line-up saw just 2 changes from the team that lost away to Cray at the weekend. Andy Howell returned from suspension and replaced Ollie Ebbage whilst Nathan Stone replaced the missing Lewis Sturman who picked up the injury at Saturday’s game.

Heybridge started the better of the two sides, George Cole going close twice. Firstly he picked up the ball on the left hand side, cut into the middle and let fly but his shot was blocked, the forward then saw his powerful shot blocked again from the left hand side by Matt Halliday. After 5 minutes gone Wroxham gave Danny Sambridge in goal for the visitors his first test. Jamie Forshaw’s switch of play found Seamus Kelleher on the edge of the area, the left winger then cut in from the left hand side and then smashed the ball to the right of the goal but was fantastically saved and palmed away to the right hand side.

After 18 minutes the Yachtsmen having had a foothold in the game, the visitors took the lead from a free kick about 25 yards out. George Cole stepped up and curled the ball into the top left hand corner to give Heybridge the advantage. As Wroxham tried to get back into the game, Jack Guyton saw a shot from distance saved whilst Michael Sommerfield’s powerful shot from 30 yards narrowly cleared the crossbar. Matty Waters then went past a Heybridge defender with ease before playing a teasing ball into the back post but it went agonisingly inches from the foot of Seamus Kelleher stretching in at the back post.

With 10 minutes to go in the first half, the away side were finding it difficult to get out of their own half. Daniel Foreman picked up the ball half-way inside the attacking half, the left back then sent the ball flying towards the goal which was just about stopped by the strong hands of Sambridge before getting cleared. The Yachtsmen then had another chance just before the whistle blew for half time. Seamus Kelleher saw his corner punched out by the Heybridge keeper before falling kindly for Matty Waters on the edge of the area. The winger tried to chip the goalkeeper but the ball cleared the bar.

Only 4 minutes into the restart, Andy Howell was penalised for an unlucky hand ball in the box and subsequently picked up a yellow card. After protests from the home side the penalty still stood. Tyron Scarlett stepped up and sent Pride the wrong way placing the ball into the bottom left corner to give the away side a 2 goal cushion. As Wroxham tried to get back into the game and following a corner, Andy Howell found himself with a bit of space on the penalty spot. His shot appeared to be heading towards the goal before being deflected wide by the Heybridge defender. Seamus Kelleher then saw his corner glanced towards the goal by Matty Waters but was narrowly wide.

Against the run of play, a mistake in the Wroxham defence allowed George Cole to run on goal and coolly place the ball in the bottom right hand corner past Pride and to give Heybridge a very healthy 3 goal cushion. David Hinton and Jack Garrod came on to replace Jack Guyton and Matty Waters and to try and revive the Yachtsmen team. Just after the substitution. David Hinton was involved instantly playing a crisp pass to Nathan Stone who smashed the ball towards goal which was brilliantly saved to his left by Danny Sambridge. Michael Sommerfield then headed a corner down and towards the left hand post, but the ball was cleared off the line by the toe of a Heybridge defender. Sommerfield then saw his free kick from the edge of the box with 10 minutes to go rifle over the top of the crossbar and out for a goal kick.

Seamus Kelleher was reolaced for the last 10 minutes by Jackson Ramm returning from his suspension. With only a few minutes left Michael Sommerfield saw another header cleared off the line from a David Hinton cross.

Overall Wroxham were left frustrated as they failed to win yet another game, after dominatingly large periods of the game. However the Yachtsmen weren’t clinical enough as Heybridge only had a handful of chances and converted 3 of them. The Yachtsmen hope to get back to winning ways at home on Saturday against Phoenix Sports.