Diss in FA Cup test after mixed results

Diss Town, who have had one defeat and one win so far this season, take an early break from Ridgeons League to compete in the FA Cup.

In the extra preliminary round on Saturday, the Tangerines will host Daventry United.

The visitors finished 15th in the Hereward Team Sportswear United Counties Premier League last

season, the division where King's Lynn Town are playing now.

The team that finished third in that league, Stotfold United, drew 2-2 at Diss in a pre-season game.

Daventry United started their league fixtures with a 2-1 defeat at Sleaford Town on Saturday.

Saturday's game at Brewers Green Lane kicks off at 3pm. If the scores are level at 90 minutes there will be a replay. It will be at Communications Park, Browns Road, Daventry on Wednesday August 18 (kick-off 7.45pm). Extra time and penalties would settle the replay.

Daventry United are sharing a ground with Daventry Town, who won the league that United played in last season, from this season.

Diss Town Football Club are pleased to announce that their main sponsor this season will be local company Simonds Coaches.

Thetford Town 0, Diss Town 3

DISS gained their first points of the season on Tuesday with a win at Mundford Road due to top-quality crossing, writes Tony Collins.

Two of the four former Thetford players, Luke Catchpole and Simon Jackson, were on the score sheet for Diss, whereas the ex-Tangerine forward line of Andrew Wood and Matt Dixon were off target in reply.

Early possession was fairly even but Diss had more on-target efforts.

Jordan Rocastle came close inside 45 seconds after initially cutting out a poor pass and then forcing

Mark Bowden to tip a dipping shot over the bar.

Luke Catchpole had a 25-yard

shot easily gathered by Bowden after 14 minutes.

The save of the game came in the 23rd minute when a 25-yard right foot shot from Jason Hunt was tipped on to the outside of a post by the finger tips of Bowden.

Rocastle played a perfect cross in from the right in the 26th minute for Dan Wynne to head into the corner of the net from eight yards out for the opening goal.

Hunt had a chance to make it two but Matt Dixon should have done better at the other end when he lifted the ball over Matty Webster and the bar after being sent free by Andrew Wood in the 37th minute.

Ryan Haynes was close to an equaliser after creating an opening in the 43rd minute.

Webster made a good save to deny Dixon at a 49th-minute corner after Thetford put in a strong start to the second half. Jon Abbott had a shot blocked after taking too much time to a Simon Mann centre.

Wynne released Rocastle to cut in from the right and strike his shot against a post in the 61st minute. Abbott was denied by the feet of Bowden as Diss attacked again down the left in the 68th minute.

The second Diss goal came in the 71st minute when Simon Jackson won the ball in his own half and played a perfect pass out wide to Rocastle on the right.

He ran into space and sent over a perfect cross for Catchpole to head powerfully into the net from six yards out.

Wood missed two great chances inside three minutes late in the game with shots that flew firstly high and then wide.

However, the final chance fell to Diss. Bowden used his feet to concede an 87th minute corner to a deflected Catchpole centre.

Stuart Garner swung the corner over for Jackson to head into the top corner from five yards out.

Diss: Matty Webster, Mark Shadrack, Stuart Garner, Simon Jackson, Brendan Foley, Jon Abbott, Jordan Rocastle, Luke Catchpole, Dan Wynne, Jason Hunt, Simon Mann.

Subs: Jesse Payne-Wilkins, Liam Smith (Rocastle 86), Tom Bryant, Sam Bryant (Mann 65) and Andy Moody (Wynne 73).

Attendance: 119.

Diss Town 2, Saffron Walden 4

DISS opened their Ridgeons League Division One season on Saturday with a home defeat against a physically strong Saffron Walden team with many tall players.

The Tangerines prefer a team that play the ball along the ground and give space and physically strong teams have proved a problem in recent seasons, writes Tony Collins.

Therefore an opening day visit from Saffron Walden would not have been a favoured fixture. Luke Catchpole was absent at his brother's wedding but manager Rob Taylor had most of the rest of his squad available for selection.

Saffron Walden started well and were 2-0 ahead by the 11th minute. Joe Murphy burst through in the 7th minute and forced Matty Webster to attempt a save with the ball rolling over the line for the opening goal.

Four minutes later Diss failed to clear at a

free-kick and Jamie Solkhon made it 2-0 with a shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Shortly later the good first-day crowd knew they were in for a goals treat as the Tangerines pulled one back.

Stuart Garner played the ball through and Jordan Rocastle beat goalkeeper Ronnie Yates to the ball and floated it in to the net.

This produced a good spell of Diss pressure but with just 20 minutes played the score became 3-1 as Brendan Foley was penalised for climbing over Joe Murphy. Spike Bell sent Webster the wrong way from the resulting penalty kick.

Diss attacked well at the start of the second half and were rewarded with a penalty of their own in the 51st minute. Rocastle was brought down just inside the area and Garner sent Yates the wrong way with the resulting penalty to make it 3-2.

Webster did well to keep out a 70th minute Mitchell Das free kick but the resulting corner produced the final goal of the afternoon. Das curled the corner in to the near post and it eluded everyone to go and make the score 4-2. Foley headed against a post in added time but it proved to be too little and too late for the Tangerines.

Diss: Matty Webster, Mark Shadrack, Stuart Garner, Simon Jackson, Brendan Foley, Craig Skipp, Jordan Rocastle, George Watts-Sturrock, Andy Moody, Jon Abbott, Sam Bryant.

Subs: Jesse Payne-Wilkins, Liam Smith (fSkipp), Tom Bryant (Watts-Sturrock), Peter Kooks and Simon Mann (Abbott). Attendance: 124.

Match Sponsor: Matthew Upson Promotions.