11/09/2026
Match Report:
Needham Market 0–1 Woodbridge Town U18s
Woodbridge Town U18s travelled to Needham Market off the back of knocking Bury Town out of the FA Youth Cup, looking to continue their strong start to the season.
They knew they faced a tough test against a usually very good and well-conditioned Needham Market side.
Woodbridge made a couple of changes to the starting XI, with Brown missing through injury and Grace and Jacobs dropping to the bench. Clarke and Nicholson coming into the side.
Needham got the game underway and the early signs were of home dominance, with Woodbridge under plenty of pressure.
The defence stood firm, defending extremely well as Needham continued to come forward.
On 12 minutes, Needham struck the post, with the attacker driving a low effort towards the far corner, only for it to cannon back off the post and be cleared to safety.
Minutes later, a deep free kick from Hillebrandt was cleared by Needham, with Thompson catching an accidental elbow to the face. After receiving treatment from the physio, he was unable to continue whilst bleeding heavily, with De Vere Packford coming on in his place.
Needham then had a one-on-one opportunity, but a last-ditch tackle from Page halted the attack. Minutes later, the Needham forward was again played in behind, only for Page to make another excellent tackle to stop the danger.
Wilding was also called into action on a couple of occasions as Needham continued to push for an opener.
Barber then misplaced a pass which inadvertently played the Needham striker through, but Hillebrandt came across brilliantly to stop the attack.
Needham’s attacking pressure was relentless, with the Woodbridge defence holding strong. The ball not sticking up front, resulting in further pressure on the back four & Hint
Despite the continued Needham pressure, the half-time whistle eventually came with the scores level at 0–0.
Not the prettiest half to watch, but some excellent defending & saves from Wilding, keeping Woodbridge in the game.
Woodbridge made two changes at half-time, with Grace and Jacobs introduced for Clarke and Nicholson.
The second half started much differently, with Woodbridge coming out of the traps quickly and taking the game to Needham.
The Woodpeckers began linking up the play much better and started to push Needham onto the back foot, with signs that the momentum had swung in Woodbridge’s favour.
On 60 minutes, Nevard replacing Margetts.
Minutes later, Needham came forward once again, but the ball was cleared into the path of Thompson. He turned his man before playing Clarke in, with Clarke returning the pass to Thompson, who narrowly fired wide.
Kelly then replaced Metcalfe.
Ten minutes later, some excellent determination from Clarke saw him chase down a loose ball after it had been cleared deep into the Needham half, earning Woodbridge a corner.
And from the resulting corner, Woodbridge took the lead.
Gotts delivering an excellent inswinging corner, which was met by Thompson, who powered his header home to give the Woodpeckers the lead.
Needham immediately went back onto the attack for the remainder of the game, piling forward and delivering cross after cross and corner after corner, searching for that equaliser.
The Woodbridge defence, however, stood strong, clearing everything that came their way.
Wilding was called into action again, while Gotts also made a couple of important tackles to stop Needham attacks.
Woodbridge continued to win the ball back and drive forward when opportunities presented themselves, while also doing a good job of keeping possession and relieving the pressure.
Kelly worked hard following some lovely link-up play with Thompson, while Jacobs and the rest of the defence continued to defend strongly whenever called upon.
As the game entered its closing stages, Needham were largely restricted to a handful of long-range efforts, with most ending high and wide.
The referee eventually brought the game to a close, confirming a 1–0 victory for Woodbridge Town U18s after a much-improved second-half performance.
A huge defensive effort, a well-taken goal and another important three points for the Woodpeckers.
🏆 Players of the Match: Gotts & Thompson
