05/09/2026
Match Report:
Harwich & Parkeston U23 1–2 Woodbridge Town U23
Thurlow Nunn U23 League
Woodbridge Town U23s made the trip to Harwich & Parkeston looking to build on their opening-day draw against Holland, and they came away with a deserved three points following a hard-fought 2–1 victory.
Harwich arrived into the fixture with plenty of confidence after opening their campaign with a convincing 6–0 victory over Debenham, while Woodbridge had been held to a 1–1 draw by Holland.
There were four changes to the squad that featured against Holland, with Hillebrandt, Thompson, Clarke and Simbai coming into the side.
Woodbridge got the game underway and immediately looked to put the hosts on the back foot. Harwich, however, fielded a very experienced side, including Elliott Johnson, who had made his debut for Braintree Town at just 16 years of age.
Despite that experience, Woodbridge started brightly and were rewarded with the opening goal after just four minutes.
Two minutes earlier, Aldous had already come close to opening the scoring when his defence-splitting pass sent Southgate through one-on-one, only for the forward to shoot straight at the Harwich goalkeeper.
The breakthrough soon followed. Hunt won possession on the halfway line before finding Southgate, whose turn took him away from his marker. He then played the ball into Simbai, who delivered a dangerous low cross into the box for Dines Ferrarge to turn home and give the Peckers a 1–0 lead.
Woodbridge continued to create opportunities, with Southgate again finding himself through on goal, but once more he was unable to guide his effort past the Harwich goalkeeper.
The hosts eventually found an equaliser on 23 minutes. Wilding produced an excellent save from close range, but Woodbridge were unable to clear the resulting loose ball and the Harwich forward reacted quickest to level the game at 1–1.
The match became increasingly competitive, with Aldous receiving a yellow card on 32 minutes following an unfair challenge, before Simbai was also booked eight minutes later for a challenge while attempting to prevent the Harwich defender reaching the ball.
Woodbridge continued to threaten before the break. On 43 minutes, Harman delivered a pinpoint cross towards Southgate, but his header couldn’t be directed on target.
Then, deep into first-half stoppage time, Dodman delivered a free-kick from deep which found Cameron, but again the resulting header couldn’t find the target.
The referee soon brought an entertaining first half to an end with the scores level at 1–1.
The second half was delayed before it could even get underway, with a home supporter’s dog making an unexpected appearance on the pitch!
Once play resumed, Woodbridge continued to push for the winner. Ten minutes into the half, Cameron played Southgate through, but the forward’s effort was once again straight at the Harwich goalkeeper.
At the other end, Wilding was again called into action, producing another important intervention to keep Harwich at bay.
Five minutes later, there was another unusual delay to proceedings, this time involving Hunt, who was hauled down in a challenge and somehow managed to rip his shorts completely in half, requiring a replacement pair!
With 15 minutes remaining, Woodbridge finally regained the lead.
Dines Ferrarge drove into the Harwich penalty area and was brought down by a home defender, giving the Peckers a penalty.
Having already opened the scoring, Dines Ferrarge dusted himself off and took responsibility from the spot, making no mistake as he calmly dispatched the penalty to put Woodbridge 2–1 ahead.
The Peckers thought they had added a third minutes later when Thompson produced a great finish, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Harwich continued to push for a way back into the game, while Woodbridge looked dangerous on the counter. With five minutes remaining, Cameron picked up the ball before rattling the crossbar with a powerful effort that would have put the game beyond doubt.
There were a few nervy moments late on, but Woodbridge held firm to secure a well-deserved 2–1 victory and three valuable points on the road.
It was a fantastic all-round performance from the squad, showing plenty of determination, character and quality against an experienced Harwich side.
⭐ Player of the Match: Miguel
A fantastic performance from Miguel, who was instrumental throughout and thoroughly deserved the Player of the Match award, however a very strong away performance from the squad overall.
Harwich & Parkeston U23 1–2 Woodbridge Town U23
