SATURDAY saw Great Yarmouth Town slip to their seventh successive league defeat and rooted to the bottom of the league table, when they were defeated by fellow strugglers Wivenhoe Town. Two second half goals were enough to defeat the Bloaters. But Tuesday brought some long-overdue cheer for Mike Derbyshire’s men as Diss Town visited the Wellesley. Despite after going one down in the first half, Yarmouth fought back after the break and a Neil Hurren strike was enough to give the Bloaters a well-deserved draw and their first point in eight games.Meanwhile Derbyshire has reaffirmed his commitment to the task in hand.

“Part of the reason I am prepared to take any criticism thrown at me is simple – if people are criticising me then they are not criticsing the players.”

Tomorrow the Bloaters travel to play Felixstowe and Walton Utd (3pm) before entertaining high-flying Wroxham on Tuesday November (7:45pm), seeking to avenge a 6-1 thrashing earlier in the season.

Great Yarmouth Town 1, Diss Town 1

IN a Ridgeons League Premier Division game littered with mistakes, the rock-bottom Bloaters fought back to grab their first point in eight games and were unlucky not to grab all three when a shot was deflected past the post in injury time.

Diss mounted the first attack on the game and gained a corner in the 2nd minute. From the corner, a header was steered just wide of the Yarmouth’s goal.

With both sides struggling to find their own players due to wayward and over hit passes, play was scrappy, with neither side troubling the goalkeepers, writes RICHARD GILES.

Yarmouth’s first real attack in the game caused panic in the visitors defence, when inter-passing between Fernando Vide and Mark Allen allowed Allen a shot on goal but his effort was easily saved by Webster in the Diss goal.

Then, on the quarter hour Diss went ahead. The Bloaters defence failed to clear the ball upfield and Stuart Garner’s attempt at goal looped over Greygoose to give Diss a 1-0 lead.

Four minutes later Yarmouth almost equalised. A shot was fumbled by Webster, Neil Hurren was the quickest player to react, but put his shot just wide of the post.

Diss had a golden opportunity to increase their lead on 22 minutes. Easlea ran through the Yarmouth defence before being forced wide by Giacomelli and chose to blast the ball high over the Bloaters cross-bar with an unmarked attacker calling for the ball in front of goal.

Allen was causing problems to the Diss defence and twice beat the offside trap, but on both occasions his efforts were easily saved by Webster.

The last action of the half saw Hurren cross from the left flank but Vide just failed to connect with ball in front of goal.

Within two minutes of the restart, only a goal-line clearance from a corner stopped the visitors increasing their lead. The rebound was put wide of the goal.

Yarmouth’s first effort at goal in the half came when Vide’s header from a Hurren cross was just wide of the target. On the hour, Araujo replaced Kemp for the Bloaters and in the 69th minute Yarmouth equalised. A through-ball split the visitors’ defence and Hurren outpaced his marker to slot the ball past Webster.

The goal spurred on the hosts as the visitors appeared rattled by the reverse, with Hurren and Allen having efforts saved by Webster as Yarmouth pressured the Diss defence.

Jobbagy replaced Formoso on 77 minutes and his pace on the right flank was causing problems for the visitor’s backline.

In referee’s optional time, Jobbagy easily beat his marker for pace and his cross eventually found Allen, whose shot flashed just over the bar.

Then, in the 93rd minute, the Bloaters almost scored a carbon copy of their goal, but Hurrens’ shot was deflected just past the post, with the referee ending the match shortly afterwards.

Yarmouth: J Greygoose, E Short, N Kemp (Araujo 60), V Formoso (Jobbagy 77), S Giacomelli, S Lee, M Allen, A Mills, N Hurren, G Barnden, F Vide. Unused subs: Hackleton, Marczenko, Alford.

Goal: Hurren 69min

Booking Lee 90min

Att: 73