A young Town U23 side beat AFC Sudbury 3-0 at the King's Marsh Stadium on Wednesday night in a game that marked the official switch-on of the Bostik League North Division side’s new LED floodlights. Armando Dobra (pictured), Kai Brown and Corrie Ndaba netted the goals.
Academy coach Geraint Williams, who took charge of the team on the night, fielded Scotland-born Montenegrin Nemanja Lemajic in goal and Royston Town youngster Charley O'Keefe at left-back, who has previously spent time with Stevenage.
Lemajic is a 20-year-old currently on loan at FK Sloga Radovici from OFK Grbalj, who both play in Montenegro, having previously spent time on trial at Crystal Palace.
The young Blues opened the scoring after just 19 seconds when Kai Brown played the ball across the edge of the box to Dobra, who took a touch before finding the near top corner of the net.
A low effort from Charlie Brown, a trialist from Reading playing as a number 10, was palmed away by Sudbury keeper Paul Walker soon after, before skipper Shane McLoughlin headed Brett McGavin's corner into the side netting.
The home side tested Lemajic for the first time shortly before the break, but the Town keeper comfortably gathered Ben Hunter's low strike.
Kai Brown curled an effort just wide a few minutes after the restart but the former Grays man did double Town's advantage on 61. After laying the ball out to Dobra, Brown met the cutback and confidently swept past Walker.
Eight minutes later Walker did well to deny Dobra following a defence-splitting ball from McLoughlin but then Ndaba tucked the ball into the bottom far corner from McGavin's near post corner.
The hosts did have a late chance but Phil Kelly was denied by Town's keeper who was out quickly and spread himself well to block and keep his clean sheet intact.
On a misty night on the artificial pitch at Sudbury, Dobra and Kai Brown looked sharp and worked well together in attack. Manager Paul Hurst wasn't in attendance but despite being linked with the St Patrick's job recently, Gerard Nash was watching on.
U23s: Lemajic, Ronan (O'Reilly 80), O'Keefe, McGavin, Marshall (Vega 75), Ndaba, Dobra (Ruffles 75), McLoughlin (Healey 80), K Brown, C Brown, Hughes. Unused: Wright, Clements. Att: 703.