Wimborne 8

Weymouth 1

Tue 13th February 2024

Goals: Baker, Munn x2, Hoey x2, Burrows and Chipangura x2

After four postponements this tie was finally played on Wimborne’s 3G pitch. Weymouth fielded the basis of their Under 23 team; Tim Sills sent out a mixture of players needing game time, and stars of Christer Warren’s Reserves team, and to a man they will have impressed the boss.

It took just six minutes for the Magpies to open the scoring. Sonny Pike’s perfectly placed long pass was chested down by Harry Baker to fire into the net from ten yards. Baker looked hungry for more, and when his team were awarded a free-kick 30 yards from goal on fifteen minutes, there was no doubt who was going to take it! Baker’s strike headed for the top corner before keeper Smalley produced a brilliant save to tip it round the post. But it wasn’t just Baker who had goals on their mind: George Griffiths found Matty Burrows wide on the right, the loanee cut inside but his shot was blocked; Addwell Chipangura’s instant shot went high and wide, and his second effort from Baker’s pass was blocked; Jack Hoey tricked his way along the left by-line before the ball was cleared.

Then, just before the half-hour mark, against the run of play, the Terras equalised. A corner on the left was sliced past his own keeper by the unfortunate Griffiths. What’s the best way to react after conceding a goal – go straight down the other end and score. And that’s just what Wimborne did. Baker charged down the inside-left channel, passed inside, and Cam Munn netted.

Griffiths drew a good save from the young keeper from twenty-five yards; Burrows beat his full-back and fired low to the far post where the keeper scrambled it away; Baker fed Burrows whose shot was inches wide; before Burrows got the goal he deserved just before the break. Sam Griffin found him wide on the right, and his shot from the edge of the area was too hot for Smalley to handle. Hoey’s legs were taken from under him in the box, but Baker’s well-struck penalty came back off the post, before Hoey’s thirty yard free-kick whistled over the bar to bring the half to an end.

Three minutes after the restart, Wimborne ended the game as a contest. Baker’s clever back-heel sent Hoey scurrying along the by-line, and when his pull-back rebounded back to him he crashed the ball into the net. The boys from Christer’s Reserves continued to catch the eye: Pike picking passes short and long, Griffiths with his strength and vision, and Addwell with his exuberant running – it was exciting fare for the 150 or so spectators. Munn combined with Addwell down the left for what was becoming a trade-mark driven low cross by the flying winger; then Munn combined with Griffiths through the centre.

The only surprise was that we had to wait until the seventy-eighth minute for Wimborne’s fifth goal. Three outrageous back-heels by Munn, Lewis Beale and Hoey resulted in the latter being tripped. He rifled the penalty into the bottom corner. On eighty-five minutes Wimborne scored a sixth. A left-wing corner was half-cleared to Munn on the edge of the box and he walloped an unstoppable shot into the net with a deflection. The biggest cheer of the evening came as the clock ticked over into time added-on. Griffiths’ diagonal set-up “fans’ favourite” Addwell who raced into the penalty area to finish with aplomb. And two minutes later Addwell bagged his second – this time a thumping, dipping shot from the edge of the area.

Credit to the young Weymouth team who were in the game for most of the first-half; they kept going but were overwhelmed as they tired towards the end.

I completely disagree with those who considered this a game without much meaning. The effort, skill and passion of the Magpies trying to impress the boss was terrific to see. And it takes us one game closer to bagging a trophy. It was a good evening for Wimborne.

Match stats:

Wimborne: Rodwell, Griffin, Pike, Arnold (Hanger 46), Scorey, Griffiths, Munn, Hoey, Burrows (Beale 67), Baker (Lovell 86), Chipangura