Defensive failings undo good start
From proving more than a match for second-placed Godmanchester Rovers, defensive errors took the game away from relegation-threatened Diss Town in their 4-2 loss at Rovers in the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division on Saturday.
The opening quarter of an hour on Saturday had seen Diss belie their lowly position in the table at a side fighting at the opposite end, only to be left with a mountain too big to climb in the second half after conceding three times to trail 3-1 at the break,
Diss gave a debut to Jake Indie, playing wide on the left side, and he was heavily involved for the Tangerines as they applied the early pressure on the home side, with Kyle Downes unable to direct his header goalwards.
Their goalkeeper Matt Powley had to receive treatment after colliding with Tom Meechan when going to punch a corner.
Matt Dixon seemed to be punished for not going down after having his feet clipped at the other end, with penalty appeals waved away.
Jason Cole miscued a shot before Diss capitulated by shipping three goals in the space of eight minutes.
The first arrived on the half-hour mark, when the Tangerines failed to get the ball clear of their own penalty area and the ball eventually came to Meechan to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
Four minutes later Meechan doubled the advantage when his low cross-come-shot was misjudged by Powley, who let the ball slip past him into the net.
After a further three minutes Danny Self attempted a clearance from the centre of the penalty area, but it fell straight into the stride of Jamie Alsop who drove a low shot back into the Tangerines’ net.
But to their credit, Diss came straight back on the offensive and inside a minute pulled a goal back, when Indie met a fine low cross from Jordan Attree to score a debut goal from five yards.
The home side restored their three-goal advantage shortly after the break when Taylor Parr out-jumped Cole to direct a well-placed header past Powley in the 54th minute.
There were few direct attempts on goal for the rest of the second half until the Tangerines pulled a goal back in the 82nd minute.
Attree and Goddy’s substitute, Matt Bannister, both went to ground as they challenged for a low cross with the referee Smith deciding Attree was impeded and he awarded the Tangerines a penalty, which Attree himself duly dispatched to leave Diss with a respectable scoreline, considering the gulf between the sides in the table.
The Tangerines do not have a game on Saturday, with their next match a week later (February 28) when they entertain last season’s champions Hadleigh United (3pm).
Diss: Powley, Shadrack, Self (Sheehan 90+3), Lewis, Barrett, Cole (Rowe 89), Brown (c), Attree, Downes, Dixon (Norman 68), Indie.
Attendance: 87.
