Preparations for the Guy Fawkes celebrations later in the evening gave Maitlands a carnival atmosphere with stalls and vans being erected but for the football fans gathering around the pitch the fireworks were evident during the game. Overcast and damp autumnal conditions were ideal for football and luckily the rain stayed away leaving the pitch firm but slightly muddy on top. Debenham LC FC were able to name an unchanged side from last week’s game against Swaffham  with Ben Bowler continuing in his midfield role and Jack Seccombe on the bench. The kit man at Halstead Town FC forgot to pack their kit for this trip up from Essex  so the visitors were obliged to use the Hornets’ second change strip of all blue and their goalkeeper used a jersey that was a very similar colour to the outfield players and caused me some confusion watching but the referee deemed the contrast to be sufficient so play commenced.
The early exchanges saw both teams probing the opposition defences and Halstead’s Jordan Hutchings had a shot deflected after just 2 minutes and saw the ball clip the outside of the right hand post and the resulting corner was played short and a shot from inside the penalty area hit the Hornets’ crossbar. Debenham gathered themselves and began playing their usual brand of passing football but Halstead were strong in defence and robust in the challenge all across the pitch but despite this the home team got forward and Ed Cussons saw a shot fly past the far post before he regained his defensive duties and made an excellent tackle to stop Ryan Crush who was bewaring down on the home goal.. On 23 minutes Halstead’s Lee Hurkett took a free kick some 30 yards from goal on the left side and saw his shot dip over Liam Jones and bounce back off the cross bar.
We then witnessed an incident that happens in contact sports occasionally but was played out under the noses of the spectators near the Hamilton Smith stand. The ball ran loose towards the touchline and Debenham’s Rob Kemp and Halstead’s Lee Hurkett both made committed strides towards the ball when the Halstead player left the ground and made a two footed challenge that caused the usually mild-mannered Rob Kemp to react in a way that signals to us who know him that his opponent was rather over vigorous. As play was halted by the referee it became apparent that Lee Hurkett was in a great deal of pain and cried out that he thought that his leg was broken resulting in the managers and physios of both teams making a rapid dash across the pitch to assist him. The referee meanwhile, having seen the incident and the poor quality of the tackle brandished a straight red card for the Halstead player although I doubt whether the fact sank in immediately as his leg was supported by an inflatable splint and he was eventually carried away on a stretcher to a sympathetic round of applause from the supporters of both teams.
Play resumed after a 15 minute delay and it was soon after that Rob Kemp left the field with a strained muscle and was replaced by defender Colin Gedney making his first team debut for the Hornets. On 49 minutes the one man advantage enjoyed by the home team nearly bore fruit as Ed Cussons and Ben Bowler combined to release James Heathcote who had a clear sight of goal but his shot was parried by Mark Walke in the Halstead goal and the ball ran to Ben Bowler whose shot was blocked by the desperate lunge of a defender.

Half Time                  Debenham LC FC    0   Halstead Town FC     0

Debenham started the second half at a pace, as they seem to do lately, but Halstead were still in the game and making life difficult for Debenham as a 30 yard shot was touched around the post by Liam Jones. 11 minutes into the second half debutante Colin Gedney sent over a teasing cross from the right hand side that cleared the defence and landed for James Heathcote to run in at goal but his shot was blocked away by the keeper and Kevin Barker’s effort from the rebound was also blocked. The ball was played in again to Ed Cussons who had stayed up with the play but he showed his defenders’ credentials as he raced towards the goal by lifting the ball high and wide of the far post. A good effort nonetheless.
Debenham were beginning to exploit their one man advantage with James Heathcote using his pace to get past defenders but no clear openings were created until the 63rd minute when a period of good possession play by Debenham in midfield saw Ed Cussons play a delightfully weighted ball through the Halstead defence to release JAMES HEATHCOTE in his favoured central position running through clear on goal and he duly dispatched the ball past the despairing lunge of the keeper and into the net to give the Hornets the lead.
Play became disjointed for a while as both teams pressed without success and cautions were made to both teams. Nathan Vincent  replaced Marc Wake and Jack Seccombe replaced Ben Bowler as Dale Vince looked for the goal that would kill the game off but none came and both teams made valiant efforts to score by getting forward at every opportunity but the defences held firm and the game ended with the one goal being decisive.
So Debenham progress to the second round of the First Division Knock Out Cup and Halstead return to Essex to lick their wounds and check out the condition of Lee Hurkett. Nobody likes to see players injured and the first half incident rather took the shine off a good performance by the Hornets against a strong team that might have seen a different result if they had kept all 11 on the pitch.

Final Sc ore               Debenham LC FC    1   Halstead Town FC     0
                                Heathcote  63

Referee                     Mr J Pope   Assistant Referees    Mr D Seccombe   Mrs S Witham

Attendance               68