Needham Market kicked off their pre-season campaign with a 2-1 win over step 4 Brantham Athletic at Bloomfields, courtesy of two well taken first half goals from Joe Neal.
An inviting second minute right wing cross just evaded Harlyn Palmer at point blank range.
Needham had a great chance two minutes later as Ollie Saunders broke onto the left-hand byline before clipping a great cross to the far post which Tom Dickens met but could only head straight at the keeper at his bottom left-hand corner. Joe Neal then saw a shot blocked as Needham started on the front foot.
Needham went agonisingly close on 18m minutes, an exquisite cross-field ball released Joe Neal racing through one-on-one but shot agonisingly wide of the bottom far corner with the keeper beaten off his line.
Needham though broke the deadlock on 35 minutes as the impressive Joe Neal, making his unofficial second debut for the club, latched onto a brilliant defence splitting pass from Brad Smith on the right-hand side before expertly finding the top near corner.
Three minutes later, Jake Dye threaded through Joe Neal through expertly clear on goal down the right-hand side to round the keeper and find the bottom far corner with ease.
James Coton was fed into space in distance but fired over on 45 minutes in a good first half display from the Marketmen.
Needham went close two minutes into first half stoppage time, an exquisite low pass from Jamie McGrath released Tommy Smith through down the left wing whose clever wrapped cross flashed across the face of goal with nobody in Red in the area.
Ten minutes after the restart, Brantham halved the deficit, driving through the right-hand side to find the bottom far corner.
Reggie Lambe meanwhile saw a low shot from outside the box well held by the keeper on 56 minutes, while the referee awarded Brantham a penalty on 58 minutes.
Skinner however guessed correctly, low to his right-hand side to brilliantly beat the spot-kick away.
A great run and quick linkup play between Brad Smith and Flynn Bobby see the former break through onto the left-hand side of the box, picking out Lambe on the byline who earned Needham a corner on 66 minutes.
Brad Smith's 76th minute throw in saw Dan Morphew whip a brilliant left wing quick cross into Kyle Hammond free at the far post but the ball just evaded the latter at close range.
Two minutes later, Reggie Lambe was fed in space outside the box before turning expertly into space but fired his shot over.
Seconds into stoppage time, Lambe picked up in possession only to see his shot blocked while a deflection saw the ball find Myles Cowling whose close range shot was well saved by the goalkeeper.
Needham then rifled a shot over in the 92nd minute, prior to Kyle Hammond wrapping a 94th minute venomous shot over the bar
Needham travel to step 5 Ipswich Wanderers on Tuesday (15th, 7:45pm).
NM 1st Half:- 1 James Bradbrook, Brad Smith, Tommy Smith, Ollie Saunders, Jake Dye, Tom Dickens, Luke Ingram (c), Jamie McGrath, 9 Joe Neal, James Coton, Harlyn Palmer.
2nd Half:- 1 Charlie Skinner, Kyle Hammond, Ollie Saunders (62' B.Smith), Charlie Smy, Olly Reynolds, Dan Morphew (c), Reggie Lambe, Ed Barker, Seth Chambers, Myles Cowling, Flynn Bobby.
Goals: Joe Neal (35', 38')
REACTION | Joe Neal | Needham Market v Brantham Athletic | 12.07.2025
Double goalscorer Joe Neal reflects on today's friendly.
DK: Good first half back in red.
JN: Yeah, no, it was a good run out. Tough conditions, but good to get the cobwebs out of the legs and get playing with some of the new lads. Obviously the team was mixed, a few youngsters, a few of us boys, so yeah, it was a good run out. I should have maybe had one more before my first one, but two decent finishes, hopefully. Start as a means to go on.
The academy lads have been great. Obviously they've been training with us and their standards are very high, so they're just up with us and it's like you saw out there, a few of them, very good. Very good balls through, just helping us out.
DK: How good is it to be back in a red shirt?
JN: Yeah, very good. Great club, great facilities. Obviously it helps knowing a few of the lads from last time and a few of the boys coming over from Sudbury, but no, it's great. Obviously the lads are great and the staff are great, so hopefully we have a good season to kick on from today.
DK: Are you feeling fresh after that 45?
JN: Yeah, tired. I mean, that was a hot one. Very, very hot one. Just get inside and hydrate and get ready for Tuesday night.
DK: A lot of running as well in the heat.
JN: Yeah, but that's what I'm good at. I think that's what I can do to help the team running behind us.
Where my second goal come from, run that channels and hopefully I do that all season long and get a few more goals that way. Definitely competition from places. That's another thing. I'll keep my own standards high and keep my place in the team. Just keep doing what I can do.
REACTION | Tom Rothery | Needham v Brantham | 12.07.2025 |
Manager Tom Rothery reflects on our first friendly.
DK: Good start to pre-season, you must be pleased?
TR: I thought it was okay, yeah. I don't know about pleased, but it's okay. It's a start, yeah. Definitely things to work on. That's obvious, like I've just said to the lads. There were some good elements, some okay elements and some elements that need to be improved. Minutes-wise, pleased. No knocks, that's really pleasing. Everyone obviously got 45, Ollie Saunders got 60, that's really positive.
DK: Is it right to say the first half was a bit more expansive than the second?
TR: Yeah, I'm more pleased with the first half. The first half, generally speaking, we moved the ball better. We looked like we had more structure, whereas the second half definitely looked more ragged, didn't have the same kind of structure. I just think we didn't move the ball as well either. Like I said, that's things to work on and that's the falseness of pre-season as well. You don't change your whole team at half-time, do you, in a normal situation? So, yeah, it is what it is. Overall, to easily analyse it, the first half was pretty good. The second half, pretty average, I guess.
DK: Joe Neal getting his second spell underway with a couple of good goals?
TR: Yeah, yeah, really. It's always nice, I think, for a striker to get off the mark as quick as they can, pre-season or not. I thought he showed some really bright bits, not just the goals, his movement, his hold-up play. So, yeah, a really, really nice start for him, definitely.
DK: The Academy lads, all but Olly didn't have any real experience in the first team and they didn't look out of place and played well?
TR: No, it's brilliant for them. Like I've said, they'll definitely be involved in these first two games and at times during the season, if they're good enough, they've got opportunities. So, that's down to them. That's not really just me. Obviously, they've got to impress for the reserves, they've got to do well, they've got to show a good attitude. So, most of them have trained now with us and then played today. So, yeah, they've done well. They did really well at training. Some good parts about today for them and probably some difficult parts, but it's all good experience for them.
DK: Brad got an assist and Charlie saved a penalty. So, that will stick in the mind?
TR: Yeah, definitely. Like I said, it's all good experience for them, even when it's things that have gone wrong or not gone how they wanted it to. It's all a learning part and part of their development. So, yeah, it's nice for Charlie to get that penalty save. Obviously, Brad had a nice assist as well. So, yeah, that's good.
DK: We've got most of our squad available but obviously we've got Keiran injured and a couple unavailable. Is it the same squad for Tuesday?
TR: So, Huntz and Ryan weren't available today. Huntz is back for Tuesday. Ryan's still away and Keiran, we've had a scan now. It's nothing major. He'll be a couple of weeks. So, he can still do straight line running. So, we'll play that by ear. But yeah, he's had good news with a scan. So, that's pleasing as well, so, Keiran hopefully in and around Aveley. Maybe Felixstowe, he should be okay to get some minutes.
DK: And next up, another familiar test in Wanderers?
TR: Yeah. Obviously, Patch is Bruvs brother. He's been in the Needham changing room. So, yeah, he's a good lad and I hope he has a great season. But yeah, it'll be nice to go there and see him again. It'll be another good test for us. So, another step. Yeah, we've got seven games, haven't we? So, that's first game chucked off, second game. I'm not a big fan of pre-season. It's just the process. It's what you have to do, and obviously, the games, you just have to tick them off. And like I said today, we've come out of it with no injuries. And hopefully, that'll be the same Tuesday. Keep trying to build momentum ready for August 9th, the start of the season.
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