On Saturday the Bloaters made the trip to Dereham Town FC to take on seventh placed UEA.

The game ended in a 1-0 win for the Bloaters, whose depleted numbers were not helped when Swatman had to leave the ground before the warmup because his partner had gone into early labour and Howell coming back from a long injury lay off failed a fitness test

On four minutes a through ball down the UEA right channel saw Beeson pulled back with both hands by a UEA defender.

Ford fired the resulting free kick into the box where Barnes seemed to lose his marker, but his far post header was just wide of the target.

In the tenth minute a dangerous left-wing cross from Jacobs found the head of Beeson who headed back across goal but it just eluded Lonergan who was waiting to pounce.

It was Lonergan midway through the first half who was unlucky when he struck the post after great work down the right from Halliday and Barnes.

UEA started to threaten, and a Jacobs slip nearly let UEA in, but the winger's strike went over the bar. Soon after the UEA striker managed to wriggle free and fired in a low drive from 25 yards which Putnins held on to brilliantly.

Just as it looked like the half would finish goalless a back pass to the UEA keeper saw the impressive Beeson hauled down by the home keeper for a penalty kick.

Beeson stepped up and fired the ball low to the keeper's right and into the net for a deserved 1-0 lead to the Bloaters. Beeson called the home keeper into another save shortly before half time.

The second half was end to end but both sides really struggled to create anything clear cut.

A Halliday freekick on 72 minutes was headed wide by Barnes before Harry Blossom came off the bench for the hard-working McAra.

With five minutes remaining good work from Lonergan and Wing presented a chance for Blossom who saw his 15-yard drive hit the post.