Escaping to Bloomfields

Needham Market  2  Leiston  2

Southern League Premier Division Central

With Beth Chatto’s stunning garden having been visited, and Clacton-On-Sea pier traipsed up and down on a wild and wet Sunday afternoon, the visit to Suffolk was nearing its tumultuous conclusion.

It wasn’t going to be straight to Needham Market from Ipswich though, oh no, we had a date with the Escape Rooms to keep. We managed to escape with a minute and a half to spare, a result if you ask me, I wasn’t aware of what the consequences were for not escaping but I had no intention of missing kick off….

It was August Bank Holiday Monday and it was the big one, I don’t know if has a nickname like ‘El Classico’ or something equally cheesy, it probably does, but as far as I was concerned Needham Market v Leiston spoke for itself. It was the Suffolk Step 3 Derby, reputations and pride were on the line, forget Ipswich v Norwich next week at the tractor pen, this was the game that really mattered!

The recent history of both clubs has something of a parallel, Leiston’s story is detailed in the previous blog, but very much like them, the Marketmen progressed to the Eastern Counties League from the Suffolk & Ipswich League in 1996, and then progressed from Step 6 to Step 5 in 2005.

Life in the top tier of the ECL was pretty fruitful and in five seasons they never finished outside of the top six, culminating in the championship being won 2009-10, and with it promotion to the Isthmian League. An FA Vase semi-final was also reached, as were the quarter finals on two other occasions.

Their first season in Isthmian Division One North saw them finish runners-up, but promotion was not achieved following a play-off semi final defeat. The play-offs were reached on a further two occasions, and lost both times, again at the semi final stage. However, in 2014-15 it all came together and the club were crowned Champions.

So, with the Isthmian League Premier Division reached, it was time to consolidate, and in two of the three seasons they’ve competed at that level, they’ve managed to evade the relegation trap door. Of course, along came restructuring, and just like Leiston, they find themselves in the ‘Central’ division which involves some arduous journeys to the Midlands.

The Bloomfields ground is set on the very edges of the small but pretty market town (he says, stating the bleeding obvious!). Accessed via an estate, the ground in itself is set in a large complex which also houses a brand new 4G pitch which is a very smart facility with floodlights and seated stand. I guess when it comes to the winter, the reserves, who compete in the ECL will be able to take advantage of it.

The football ground is a very tidy facility indeed. A two story building houses the clubhouse, dressing rooms and a boardroom, while the pitch, set on a plateau, rises up from the clubhouse. The old seated stand with a steep rake sits on the half way line, while a smaller Atcost type seated stand is perched directly behind the North goal. Two areas of cover run down the side opposite the main stand, separated by an elevated press box, while behind the South goal is a sizable area of covered terracing that looks very new.

With lots of structures and features, combined with a very nice playing surface, it’s a welcoming venue and clearly a lot of time, effort and money has been invested in the facilities at the same time as the team has progressed on the pitch, which is just how it should be in my opinion.

The Marketmen were hopeful of a crowd in the 650 region, and whoever does the estimating is bloody good because the announced crowd was 657. It was a nice atmosphere around the ground, with a good number having travelled the 27 miles West, mingling freely with the homes supporters.

The game was an entertaining affair, and it was the visitors who took the lead in the eleventh minute when Cemal Ramadan found the bottom corner of the goal with a low shot.

The hosts battled back though and scored via a Joe Marsden penalty kick following a foul by Joe Jefford. Within minutes, Market had turned a deficit into a lead when Adam Mills angled the ball past the impressive Marcus Garnham in the Leiston goal.

The first half had been pretty even, but once Chris Henderson had notched a 65^th minute equaliser, the balance of power swung towards Leiston. They had plenty of possession but couldn’t find a way through though, and ultimately both sides had to settle for a point.

Another cracking afternoon’s football in Suffolk, and just a steady three hour drive back home afterwards, but just think what might have happened had we not cracked that final code in the Escape Rooms?

Best case, we’d have struggled to get one of the remaining spaces in the car park, worst case, well, maybe its best just not knowing!