All they had to show for their superiorty was a Luke Read goal and they were made to pay as Nathan Stone and Paul Highfield netted for the home team.

There were puddles already on the pitch before kick-off but the surface held up well and any fears that the match might not run its full course proved unfounded.

Woodbridge started in the same vein as they had at Needham Market and looked the more likely side to open the scoring, which they duly did in the 11th minute, Read poking home after Nathan Pauling had blocked Allicion Blake's shot following Ben Seaman's left-wing cross.

Paul Hart then rattled the underside of the bar from fully 30 yards with a well-struck swerving effort just three minutes later before Danny Tacon made a well-timed, last-ditch tackle to stop Blake, who delayed too long before shooting, adding a second after a good through ball from Read.

Seaman and Read then combined in the 20th minute to set up Blake whose effort was over the bar as Woodbridge continued to dominate.

Stone sent a warning sign of things to come when he broke away down the inside right channel and Marcus Garnham fingertipped his shot for a corner in the 32nd minute.

Joe Jefford was off target for Kirkley following a free kick after 37 minutes, but the home team drew level in first-half injury time when Stone thumped home an emphatic volley from the edge of the area after a free kick had been headed out to him two minutes into injury time.
No sooner had Woodbridge kicked-off than the whislte blew and it was harsh on the visitors to go in at the break level.

However, their evening took a turn for the worse within 60 seconds of the resumption when Elliott Hunter crossed from the right and Chris Henderson headed the ball down into the path of Highfield whose shot on the turn found the bottom corner.

Both sides kept trying to play football despite the atrocious conditions and the closest either team came to another goal was when Kirkley substitute Lee Hunter broke away in the 83rd minute and his powerful shot was deflected onto the bar by Marcus Garnham.

Lee O'Neill, one of three Woodbridge substitutes introduced simultaneously to try and salvage something from the game, made a good run down the left wing and cut in but his shot was blocked when he may have done better to pick out a black and white shirt in the middle and Aaron Churchyard saw a cross drift wide of the far post as Kirkley held on.

Woodbridge Town: Marcus Garnham, Simon Peddie, Grant Monaghan (sub Lee O'Neill 75 mins), Sean Rea, Mark Roper, Ben Miller, Luke Read, Paul Hart (sub Ben Garnham 75 mins), Allicion Blake (sub Craig Jennings 75 mins), Aaron Churchyard, Ben Seaman. Unused subs: Stefan Marsh, Arran Sheppard.