The hosts played like title contenders, and Melford, overall pretty poor, more like candidates for relegation.
After a bright start when Melford had good chances with Heaton shooting wide and Brind chipping over the bar the home team gradually took over the game, outrunning and outgunning Melford.
Their confidence grew and early on Hooks brought out a div
ing save from Hounsell. Then the young keeper did well to push away a header from Betts.
Home keeper Stockdale emulated his opposite number when he produced a flying save to turn round the post a piledriver from Clark.
This was followed by another close effort when a Statham corner saw the diving header from Heaton go narrowly wide.
But it was no surprise when Fakenham took the lead on 38 minutes. Cole madeprogress down the left flank and his whipped-in cross came to the far post and the unmarked Haynes finished with a glancing header.
Fakenham were far superior in the second half, and the distinctly shaky Melford defence survived several near misses until 63 minutes, when some slack marking allowed Day to thunder home a shot via the underside of the bar from some 30 yards.
It now seemed to be a question of how many the Ghosts would score.
Slicing through the Melford defence with ease they went further ahead. A poorly defended corner came to Critten, who sidefooted home from three yards.
Melford should have got a goal back but Chisholm put his effort wide, and then soon after this Perry shot straight at Stockdale.
On the final whistle Fakenham consolidated their superiority, Critten sweeping the ball into the box and Hooks finishing with a volley at the far post.
Long Melford: Hounsell; Brind (Millar 84), Grimster, Chisholm, Adams, Crissell, Delves, Heaton, Perry, Clark, Statham (Welch 65).
The full article contains 304 words and appears in Suffolk Free Press newspaper.
