Match Preview – Wimborne Town vs Evesham United
This is the re-arrangement of the game originally scheduled for mid-January. Last season, when a mouth-watering play-off semi-final against Hamworthy seemed likely for Wimborne, Evesham’s late charge saw them pip us for fourth, and consign the Magpies to a semi-final at Sholing. So it was surprising that this season after the goal-less draw in this reverse fixture at the end of September, Mike Ford’s team found themselves at the bottom of the pile in twentieth place after six games.
Fast forward to mid-January, and the Robins had risen fifteen league places in fifteen games to sit fifth in the table. And they’ve stayed in and around the playoff places since then. They’re currently sitting fifth with a W10 D11 L7 GF 41 GA 31 record – and that goals against figure is the best in the division. On their travels their record is W6 D5 L3 – that’s the fewest away defeats of any team in our division. Dig a little deeper and you find that Evesham are unbeaten on the road since late September – that’s a remarkable run of ten games: wins at Bemerton (5-0), Yate (5-1), Mousehole (3-1), Malvern (3-2), Westbury (1-0), and on 2nd March Bideford (2-0), with draws at Cribbs, Melksham, Bashley and Larkhall.
Manager Ford, with nearly 500 league appearances for Cardiff and Oxford United,and five years as manager at Oxford City and another five at Banbury, is clearly very experienced. His assistant is Alex Sykes, who has managed Bishops Cleeve, Shortwood, and Cinderford. Which Robins should we look out for? Ethan Moran and Charles Wise are in goal-scoring form in 2024, Levi Steele is a prolific striker, and Amer Awadh is a class act in midfield.
Evesham’s away record is impressive, but then so is Wimborne’s home record: eleven wins and three draws in our fourteen league games at New Cuthbury. The Magpies’ current run of nine unbeaten, including five consecutive away wins, leaves us sitting at the top of the tree with a W19 D6 L4 GF 62 GA 33 record – our goals for record is the best in the division, and our defensive record is second best. We’ve had an impressive six different goalscorers in our last three games. Manager Tim Sills will be without medium-term injured Jez Bedford and Sam Roberts, but Connor Cocklin is back playing, and Scott Arnold was on the bench for the 2-1 win at Malvern on Saturday. Tim has kept the same starting line-up for the last two games. Will he stick with that, or change personnel given that we have two games in five days this week? And with the deadline for new signings approaching, could there be a new face in the squad?
How have we fared against Evesham at home in the Southern League? Well, the Robins had the upper hand at (old) Cuthbury winning four and drawing one of the six encounters. Last season, the first visit of Evesham to New Cuthbury, the game ended goal-less in front of 564 spectators.
This is going to be a tough game for Tim’s team: the division’s best attack against the division’s best defence; a team with an unbeaten home record against a team on an unbeaten away run. It’s our last scheduled home game under floodlights, and that always creates a special atmosphere. Tim tells us that our support makes a huge difference, so come on down to New Cuthbury to get behind the boys in their push for promotion. After all, it’s what Tuesday evenings were made for!
There’s likely to be a large crowd, so please be respectful of our neighbours if you have to park on the nearby streets. Morebus no.13 from and to The Square runs past the end of Parmiter Drive.
Admission: Adults £12; concessions £8; U18 £5; U13 £2.
A packed, printed programme will be on sale.
Weather forecast: cloudy; 11oC; 10% chance of rain.
