GREATYarmouth Town, leading the Ridgeons First Division by four points, face a tough trek to Brantham Athletic tomorrow, the only team to have left the Wellesley with any points this season and who, like the Bloaters, have lost only once in the league all season.

GREATYarmouth Town, leading the Ridgeons First Division by four points, face a tough trek to Brantham Athletic tomorrow, the only team to have left the Wellesley with any points this season and who, like the Bloaters, have lost only once in the league all season.

This is followed by another crunch match at home on Boxing Day against local rivals Gorleston, kick-off 11am.

Thetford Town were the visitors to the Wellesley on Saturday, as Yarmouth recorded their eighth home league win of the season and made it 13 home matches unbeaten in

all competitions.

The 3-1 win was far from easy. Thetford, who had previously accumulated two wins on the trot, took the lead in the 11th minute through Matt Dixon after good work from Thetford top-scorer Simon Mann. He managed to turn away from the usually impenetrable figure of Craig Roberts before crossing for Dixon to beat Michael Hilton - the first goal that the Bloaters had conceded in six league matches.

The match up until then had been end to end. This trend continued and it was Yarmouth who took the next chance when Magee whipped in a free-kick which caused a scramble in the Thetford area.

It resulted in experienced striker Stewart Roach getting the ball to in-form striker Gavin Norman, who equalised.

The game continued to be a battle for both sides, with Scott Woodcock's blistering pace a constant threat, especially on the counter-attack. Just before half-time Woodcock produced a pass which sent Gavin Norman through on goal. He was brought down by defender Ryan Haynes, who was given a yellow card. From the resulting free-kick, Magee unleashed a powerful shot to give Yarmouth a 2-1 half-time lead.

In the second half both teams continued to create chances and Woodcock was unlucky to see his 57th minute shot crash against the bar. In the 71st minute Gavin Norman played a clever dummy, allowing Roach to claim the ball, which he slotted coolly beyond the keeper, seemingly putting the game beyond the visitors' reach.

Drama followed in the 77th minute as a lunging tackle by Steve Davies on Woodcock resulted in a red card for Davies, and also for Woodcock, as he was deemed to have intentionally connected with Davies' head as he rode the challenge. Play was stopped for a number of minutes as tempers flared on both sides and the referee was forced to consult his assistant to determine who was at fault, resulting in several bookings.

The Bloaters managed to hold onto their lead for the remaining minutes, including the 11 of time added on.

Yarmouth Reserves travelled to Thetford and secured an impressive 3-0 victory - their first league win since the end of October.