Ah, the magic of the FA Cup. Wimborne sprinkled some magic of their own over this tie as they knocked out Bishops Cleeve with some sparkling football. A Lewis Williams brace gave the Magpies control in the first-half, but The Mitres fought back to level ten minutes into the second, before Joe Ryan, Williams (completing his hat-trick), and Will Fletcher ensured that Tim Sills’ burgeoning team secured their spot in Monday’s draw.

Manager Sills brought Owen-Roundell-Prince into central defence, and Seung Woo-Yang into midfield in his starting line-up.

It was unseasonally wet and windy on Cleeve’s 3G as Wimborne entered the competition for a potential banana-skin of a tie against Paul Collicutt’s team. The Mitres had won all five league and cup games of this campaign, and had kept a clean sheet in each of their previous four.

The first opportunity of the game fell to Josh McQuoid, whose turn made space in the box for a shot which clipped the outside of the post. At the other end, Wimborne had to defend three early corners before taking the lead on 15 minutes. Lewis Williams picked up a loose ball wide on the left. He dribbled across the pitch evading two defenders, before turning to the right of the “D” to unleash an unstoppable shot into the top corner beyond the diving Clayton – it was a stunning strike, and a fabulous way to open your account for the Club.

For Cleeve, Malshanskyj worked his way to the left by-line to find Langworthy with a low cross which the experienced striker turned goalwards but with little power, before Williams almost double the lead on 24 minutes. Racing past the last defender he was denied by the Clayton’s sprawling save. However, five minutes later Williams did score. Racing on to a perfectly-weighted through ball from Cam Munn down the middle, he lifted the ball over the diving keeper and into the net.

Wimborne took control and always looked the more likely to score again: Seuny controlled a high ball and fired inches wide; Sam Jackson’s header from a corner was turned past the post for another; McQuoid sent a curler over the bar; Joe Smith lofted Jackson’s knock-down header over the bar; and Max Bustamante went on a charging run before shooting wide from distance. Last season supporters were frustrated by players taking an extra pass or three before shooting; it’s completely different this time around, and, boy, does it make for exciting watching!

Not for the first time this season the opposition re-grouped during the interval and came out fighting. And it paid off in the first minute when Spurrier’s through ball was netted by the speedy Malshanskyj. Seuny chased down a back-pass to force a corner which Billy Walker knocked into the net before being ruled out for off-side. Then, with just nine second-half minutes showing on the electronic scoreboard, The Mitres were level. Holland’s cross from the left was headed past Cameron Plain at the back-post by the tall Langworthy. Ten minutes after the break, the momentum was with the home side. Plain punched a corner clear; Malshanskyj beat two before his shot was bravely blocked; and Drew Eccott-Young stopped a rapid counter-attack with a well-timed sliding tackle.

The visitors weathered the storm, and fought back. Munn found Williams who made space for a shot only to be denied by the sprawling Clayton once more. On 70 minutes, Sills sent Joe Ryan into the fray, and a minute later, with his first touch, the young winger restored the visitors’ lead. Josh Carmichael, who’d come on five minutes earlier, found Ryan on the right of the box who thrashed the ball across the keeper into the far corner. On 79 minutes it was four – this time Ryan turned provider. Plain launched a free-kick from inside his own half to Ryan wide on the right, he reached the by-line from where his low cross was bundled into the net from close-range by that man Williams to complete his hat-trick.

After Holland had sent a rasping shot wide of Plain’s post, Will Fletcher completed the scoring on 92 minutes. Taking a pass from Carmichael, he weaved this way and that before unleashing a curler into the top corner from inside the “D”. And he almost bagged another when he was inches away from Ryan’s cross into the goal area.

And so Wimborne deservedly progress with an exciting display of attacking football. Five goals from 17 attempts; eight goals in two games this week; three contenders for goal-of-the-season today; five games unbeaten. Want some more stats? The last time Wimborne scored five in a league or FA competition was in the opening fixture of our title-winning 2023-24 campaign, when Tim’s team won 5-2 at … Bishops Cleeve. And the last player to score a hat-trick for The Magpies was Cam Munn at Winchester in our second game of last season. A final word for our hosts – a proper friendly non-league club. We wish them well in their target to gain promotion from Southern League Div One South.

The draw for the next round, when National South sides enter the competition, is on Monday.

Wimborne: Plain, Eccott-Young, Walker, Roundell-Prince, Jackson, McQuoid (Scorey 79), Seuny (Carmichael 65), Munn, Bustamante (Ryan 71), Williams (Borges 86), Smith (Fletcher 61) 

Attendance: 217

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