North Walsham Town 0 Spixworth 2

An improved performance was not enough as the Angels were beaten by Spixworth, with late goals in each half being a bitter pill to swallow.

The Angels showed five changes to their starting line-up from the side that faced Loddon.

New signings Jake Sharpe and Richard Neave took their places in goal and defence respectively, while Dan Reynolds, Jay Robertson and Daniel Broom were welcomed back.

Spixworth started brightly, putting pressure on the Angels' defence, and only a fine double save from Sharpe prevented them from taking the lead.

Determined not to be overawed by their higher placed opponents, Walsham created a couple of half chances themselves with Crosby hitting the side netting and Gauntlett shooting just wide.

On 23 minutes there were loud appeals for a penalty from the Spixworth players when their front man went down in the area but the referee ignored their claims.

The ball was quickly cleared by Walsham to Wheeler whose through ball for Broom was cleared by the keeper.

After half an hour Spixworth should have taken the lead when a free-kick found an unmarked forward, who hooked his shot wide of the target from five yards with the goal at his mercy.

The deadlock was finally broken after 41 minutes. A through ball found the Spixworth front man whose initial shot was well saved by the home keeper but the rebound was hammered into the goal. That was not the last action of the half however, as Walsham almost equalised on the stroke of half-time when a poor clearance from the keeper found Broom, who was tackled as he shot and the ball went the wrong side of the post.

Whilst Spixworth continued to have a possession and territorial advantage, Walsham looked dangerous with quick breakaways and Broom tested the keeper after 50 minutes. That was his last action as he was replaced by Wesby.

The visitors should have increased their lead on the hour mark. A diagonal ball bypassed the Angels' defence to an unmarked forward, who shot wide of the target with Sharpe wrong-footed.

As the game reached midway through the second half, the visitors appeared to become frustrated at not being able to put the game out of reach of their lower placed opponents and Walsham seemed to grow in confidence and have a more equal share of the play.

A superb last-ditch tackle by Gorbould saved a certain goal on 70 minutes showed the fighting qualities of the Angels' side although Gorbould did have some luck when an attempted clearance was sliced and looped over his own crossbar.

The final five minutes saw Walsham push forward in search of a deserved equaliser but this was all in vain as a quick breakaway in the 89th minute saw Spixworth double their lead to give them a 2-0 victory.

North Walsham: Sharpe, Neave (Bowles), Robertson (Edwards), Gauntlett, Gorbould, Reynolds, Crosby, Wheeler, Joy, Broom (Wesby), Meek.