SCOTT Woodcock made a dramatic return to Great Yarmouth Town last week.The former youth team player signed for Gorleston in the summer, but less than a month into the new season decided that the grass is not necessarily “greener” on the other side of the River Yare and he asked to return to Wellesley Road, writes Gerry Brown.

SCOTT Woodcock made a dramatic return to Great Yarmouth Town last week.

The former youth team player signed for Gorleston in the summer, but less than a month into the new season decided that the grass is not necessarily “greener” on the other side of the River Yare and he asked to return to Wellesley Road, writes Gerry Brown.

Woodcock, who has followed manager Paul Tong to various clubs, was given an immediate inclusion into the squad for Saturday's game at Mildenhall Town and was instrumental in the team gaining a draw after being outplayed in the first half.

Woodcock repaid the manager when, after coming on as a second-half substitute, he set up Yarmouth's equalising goal and then hit the home bar and a post in later attacks.

The match was also notable as the first occasion the team has worn the new all-pink away kit, and the club is thought to be the first in the country to adopt this hitherto unusual strip, although others (including at least one Premiership club) have worn part-pink outfits. The Bloaters' committee decided on this away change strip to highlight their campaign raising funds this season for Breast Cancer Research.

Kit sponsors Holmes Builders were represented at the match by managing partner Neil Holmes.

After six successive away matches, Yarmouth made their Premier Division return home debut on Tuesday when some realities of life in the Premier Division were brought home to them by a 4-0 defeat to Dereham Town, the Bloaters' first home league defeat for 16 months.

The lessons will have to be quickly absorbed as the division's leading side are the next to come calling at the Wellesley tomorrow (kick-off 3pm).

CRC, Cambridge Regional College, are under the

wing of Cambridge United. Several of their players have had Football League club experience and the management team includes former Yarmouth favourite Nolan Keeley.

A trio of difficult homes games concludes with Tuesday's visit of Leiston, currently third in the Premier Division (Wellesley, 7.45pm).

The Reserves won 4-1 at Leiston but have no game this week.

The Under 18s were at Norwich United last night (Thursday) and start their home programme next week with a visit from Kirkley and Pakefield on Wednesday (Wellesley, 7.45pm).

Great Yarmouth Town 0, Dereham Town 4

The scoreline does not exaggerate Dereham's dominance of this game which is also confirmed by their corner count of 17 to Yarmouth's five.

After some opening Yarmouth forays into the Dereham half, when a mistake by Shaun Marshal in goal nearly opened up the way for Kevin Howes, it was virtually one-way traffic towards Michael Hilton's goal.

The Bloaters' keeper was, perhaps, unlucky to have four against his name when one was a Yarmouth own goal and another was a hot shot he could only divert into his own net, but there was no doubting which was the more deserving side.

Yarmouth did not demand one save from Marshall and wasted opportunities they did have from their few corners and free-kicks around the box.

The defence did perform admirably, however. Hilton, Gareth Palmer and Craig Roberts, in particular, worked hard to keep the score down.

But the defence cracked in the 12th minute when Jay Eastoe-Smith was allowed a free header from Dereham's fourth corner in as many minutes. With the Magpies adopting a shoot-on-sight tactic, they scored again.

But Yarmouth began to get into the game and in a seven-minute spell mustered a couple of shots from Dominic Smith and three free-kicks in dangerous positions.

Jake Reed and Gavin Norman, who had few opportunities in the game, put in plenty of effort when they did have the ball but the decisive action was all at the other end.

After clearing a free-kick from in front of a post, the over-worked Roberts mistimed his tackle, brought down Sam Willis just inside the area and Danny Beaumont converted the spot-kick for 2-0 after 43 minutes.

Hilton brought off a tremendous flying save just after the break and Roberts blocked an Adam Smith shot. Yarmouth brought on Fernando Vide but even he could make little progress.

Goal No 3 came in the 63rd minute when Hilton was unable to hold onto a fiercely-struck Beaumont shot from the left, and the only surprise was that it took Dereham another 20 minutes to wrap the game up when a corner was helped into the net by the combined efforts of two or three defenders, though Dereham's Adam Smith is claiming it off his chest!

Yarmouth will hardly meet a better side this season. Honest manager Tong partly blamed himself when he admitted he may have selected the wrong team for this game, but he also praised the visitors who he had no doubt were the better side.

“It just showed the standard we are up against with the better sides, and shows just how far we have to go. We were outplayed, and our mistakes were punished. But it's all a learning curve and we'll learn from it and hopefully come back the better.”

Yarmouth: M Hilton, L Fell, O Savage, C Roberts, G Palmer, M Magee, K Howes, D Smith, G Norman, J Reed, S Woodcock. Subs: R Catchpole (Magee 66), F Vide (Howes 55), J Bell, J King (Woodcock 70), R Durrant. Attendance: 107.

Mildenhall 1, Great Yarmouth Town 1

Ten-man Yarmouth fought a remarkable comeback in the

second half.

Yarmouth never really got into the first half and went a goal down

after 15 minutes when Dave

Werthmann slammed the ball into the net from a corner.

Three times Michael Hilton in the Yarmouth goal had to make exceptional saves to prevent John Sands scoring.

Yarmouth brought on subs Fernando Vide and Ross Catchpole at half-time and turned the game on its head, but not before they suffered the loss of

last-man Gareth Palmer to a straight red for bringing down Sands as he bore down on goal again.

However, the response from Paul Tong's team was superb. They went on to create several real good chances, one of which saw Yarmouth's third substitute Scott Woodcock send in the cross that Jake Reed expertly volleyed home for the equaliser after 63 minutes.

Woodcock went on to hit the angle of post and bar and then the other post as Yarmouth, not content with one point, went looking for all three.

The Bloaters nearly paid for their adventurous attitude but a remarkable double save from first Hilton then Luke Fell kept Mildenhall out.

Yarmouth: M Hilton, J King, O Savage, C Roberts, G Palmer, M Magee, K Howes, D Smith, G Norman, J Reed, L Fell. Subs: F Vide (King 46), J Bell, R Catchpole (Magee 46), S Woodcock (Norman 60).