Heart Breaker at Sheringham

A new look Mens 3s travelled to table topping North Norfolk with a team containing just four players who had played the previous fixture. With a bare 11 the early exchanges saw an end to end game, with Andy Longfield making a quality glove save to keep the score level. A tactical switch of players then cemented the structure. Bury closed the press and began to dominate possession as North Norfolk were hemmed into their half. That dominance was rewarded when a flowing move fell to Merlin Stamper who slammed the ball home. Merlin doubled the lead with a second strike at a corner and Bury led 2-0 at halftime. It was comfortably the best the 3s had played this season. Players held shape and when they passed simply the team kept possession well and got in the opposition D.
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> North Norfolk began the second half using more ball transfer, having realised the direct approach wouldn’t work. Despite that Bury stayed the more controlled side in possession but the third goal that would have clinched it didn’t come. Then the lack of a sub bit as Alex Gospel suffered a muscle injury and Bury were down to 10. We shuffled our team but with only one forward our press couldn’t function as well as it had. North Norfolk were ruthless, moving their influential number 5 higher up the pitch where he orchestrated a much more fluid and dangerous attack. Their first goal came 20 minutes from time from close in, with the equaliser following 12 minutes later. Bury gave their all to hold out but conceded a corner on the final whistle. The first two were repelled but a bouncing ball on the third found a North Norfolk stick and Bury came away with nothing.
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> So a tough result but a much better performance. Ultimately North Norfolk buried the three close in opportunities they created when Bury were a man down.