Diss Town 2 Dereham Town Reserves 0

Diss Town opened the 2015/16 season with a new manager in Ross Potter and a home win over Dereham Town Reserves in Thurlow Nunn Division One.

The Diss starting team included just four players who were with the club last season. The new-look team impressed the large crowd of 143 – only the derby with Thetford attracted a higher crowd at Brewers Green Lane last season.

Diss started well and Kyle Downes had three efforts inside the first 11 minutes to open the scoring. In the seventh minute his header from five yards from a corner was well held by 16-year-old Diss High School pupil Curtis Child.

Three minutes later Child again held well on his local ground as Downes met a cross from Jason Armes with his head seven yards out. Within a minute Armes found Downes in space eight yards out, but he guided his low shot narrowly wide of Child's right-hand post.

Danny Self was involved in the action at both ends. His 30-yard free-kick went narrowly wide in the 31st minute, and 10 minutes later, he was back on his own goal line to head away after Matthew Cooke headed at goal from a corner.

Diss deserved a goal for their first-half attacking play and it arrived in the 42nd minute. Chris Holmes cut the ball back and Jamie George, on debut, took a touch before guiding in a low shot from 10 yards out, despite Child getting his fingers to the ball.

The second goal arrived in the 54th minute to put the game out of the reach of the young Dereham team. A corner from the right by Holmes was headed goalwards by Chris Gibbons. Child was unable to reach it and George took evasive action to ensure that it went in.

Diss looked more likely to add to their goals tally, rather than Dereham get back into the game. Child was forced into action to save a 78th-minute Self free-kick and in added time Ben Lewis used his strength deep inside his own half to win the ball. He released Holmes in space. He in turn allowed Mark Appleton to move forward and float his shot over Child, but also just over the bar.

Diss: Bird, Bartram, Wenham, Lewis, Gibbons, Appleton, Holmes, Self, Downes, George, Armes. Diss subs: Rowe, Barrett (for Wenham 66), Page (for Armes 78), Appleton (for Downes 71), Cooke.

Attendance: 143.

Match sponsor: Diss Town FC directors.

Diss Reserves have so far played two pre-season games. They were beaten 2-1 at Long Stratton Reserves (with a goal from Alex Saywood) but beat Mendlesham 3-1 at home with goals from Adam Oakley, Nathan Banks and Yip Weng Chong.