Lowestoft Town crashed to a second home Suffolk derby defeat inside five days.
With injuries still biting deep, the Trawlerboys brought in two loan signings – keeper Billy Johnson and playmaker Tom Hughes, from Norwich City and Ipswich Town respectively – the eve of the game and they were thrust straight into the action.
For Johnson it was a quick return to Lowestoft, having originally signed for the Trawlerboys in the close season before being offered a deal at City.
Needham Market started at a cracking pace and had missed three good chances before taking the lead after just 10 minutes when Joe Marsden found himself clear to knock the ball past Johnson and stroke it into the net.
A speculative 25-yard effort from Shaun Bammant clipped the Needham upright but it was the Marketmen who were exploiting huge gaps in the Lowestoft defence. Marsden was close to adding a second as he got on the end of a Jake Dye cross, but his glancing header flew just wide of the far upright.
But a second Needham goal was always on the cards and it duly arrived in the 28th minute. The ball was played in from the right to Reece Dobson who, in acres of space, had the simple task of firing past Johnson from 12 yards.
Lowestoft did improve in the second period and were close to pulling a goal back from a Jack Wilkinson cross which Connor Deeks headed against the crossbar. A similar cross from the left saw Needham central defender Kieran Morphew send a diving header heading into the top corner of his own net before a tremendous reflex save from Jake Jessup turned the ball over the top.
Lowestoft had been outplayed for most of the game and if they needed any reminder that Lady Luck was not smiling on them it came as they hit the woodwork for the third time when a downward header by Deeks from an Adam Smith free-kick was pushed up on to the bar by Jessup and scrambled away.
Lowestoft: Johnson, Schaar (Brown 53), Wilkinson, Pollock (Tann 71), Curry, Vega, Fowkes, Deeks, Bammant, Hughes, Smith. Subs not used: Higgs, Pinheiro, Wren.
Needham Market: Jessup, Dye, Sturgess, Squire, Morphew, Baker, Marsden (Kamanzi 90), Heath, Ingram, Dobson, Mills (Griffiths 82). Subs not used: Issa, Shorten.
Ref: T Hancock; Att: 335.
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