Eastern Counties League

Division 1 North

Friday 24th February 2023

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.48

Heacham 2 Swaffham Town 1, attendance 298

6’ 0-1

41’ 1-1

45’ 2-1

@ Heacham Playing Fields

Station Road

Heacham

PE31 7HF

£5 Admission

£2 Programme, 32 pages.

Heacham are very much a club on the up, having only been promoted from the North West Norfolk League in to Division 5 North of the Anglian Combination League for the 2016/17 season, where successive promotions now sees them make their debut at Step 6. Their stay here may be a short one. They currently sit top of the table (P25 W18 D3 L4) on 57 points, having played a game fewer than Framingham Town (56 pts) and Harwich & Parkeston (53 pts). Even fourth placed Downham Town are still very much in with a shout of promotion, only five points behind Heacham, but with a game in hand.

Tonight was the first game under the newly installed floodlights. The ground is very much a work in progress, with two sides still to have hard standing laid, but it is progressing nicely. Unfortunately, as nice as the seated stand looks, it is totally useless, as it is set well back from the pitch and there is no restriction to prevent people standing along the rail in front, so the view from it is dreadful. There is also an angled area of cover in front of the clubhouse. Organisation for their big day was very good though. Plenty of helpers directing the car parking, ample programmes and a mobile food wagon in place. The crowd was only a couple short of 300, which included a fair number of ‘hoppers dotted about.

Swaffham Town came in to this 17th (out of 19) in the league table, but they certainly made the leaders work hard for the 3 points. It was quite a surprise that it was the visitors who went in front just six minutes in, smashing one high into the net after a corner wasn’t cleared. Heacham pressed for an equaliser, but it didn’t arrive until four minutes before halftime, when an angled cross into the box seemed to deceive the ‘keeper, sailing over his head and dropping into the far corner. It didn’t take long before they turned things round and they edged in front right on halftime, when a poor kick by the ‘keeper, coupled with a slip by a defender attempting a tackle, saw the striker control the ball and finish with a shot into the far corner. The second half kept the interest, but neither team really threatened to add to the scoring.

The journey both ways was littered with delays, adding 90 minutes to the drive time. The SatNav diverted me via the Blackwall Tunnel going, due to an accident on the opposite carriageway near the Dartford Crossing that caused big tailbacks. The return saw closures of the M11 just south of the A11, followed by the M25 being closed between J2 and J3. Just for good measure the exit at J8 was also closed, which meant exiting at J6 and taking the countryside route home. Oh the joys of hopping midweek games.