Wimborne Town beat high-flying Gosport Borough 1-0 at the Wyatt Homes Stadium on Tuesday evening.

 

Sam Roberts scored the only goal of the game early in the second half to secure all three points for the Magpies, with Cam Munn picking up the man of the match award.

 

Tim Sills made one change to the side that lost 1-0 at home to Chatham Town on Saturday, with Josh McQuoid coming in for Owen Roundell.

 

The first quarter of an hour saw little chances, with only a Munn shot fired over from range of any note.

 

In the 20th minute, Lewis Williams won the ball high up the pitch before fizzing a cross into the box that had to be cleared behind by the Gosport defender with a perfectly timed slide.

 

Wimborne started to up the ante and five minutes later Will Fletcher had a shot at goal blocked before Max Bustamante followed up with an effort that was comfortably saved by Ryan Hall.

 

Munn tested Hall further in the 39th minute, with two shots outside of the box both having to be saved by the Gosport stopper.

 

However, despite the hosts dominance, it was the visitors who nearly took the lead late on in the first half, as a powerful half-volley struck the inside of the post and bounced clear, a reminder of Gosport’s potent goal threat.

 

The scores remained level for only one minute into the second half, after a corner kept low and found the feet of Roberts, who flicked the ball into the bottom-left corner to give the hosts the lead.

 

Roberts hadn’t scored since promotion-day at Melksham in April 2024, but has now scored twice in a little over two weeks, highlighting the brilliant form he has been in.

 

The Magpies continued their pressure, looking to seize the initiative and grab a second goal, as Hall had to be at his acrobatic best to tip Will Fletcher’s flick from Billy Walker’s looping shot onto the crossbar, before tipping over Williams’ long-ranged effort.

 

In the 57th minute Wimborne’s keeper, Kai Crampton, was forced into a good save after a fiercely struck shot from Gosport on the counter, ensuring his night was not going to be a quiet one.

 

Three minutes later, Williams’ fine touch allowed him to get a shot off towards goal on his left foot, but the attempt was caught by the keeper.

 

The 64th minute saw Joe Smith brought on for Fletcher, and he nearly had an instant impact, cutting inside and directing a shot towards goal that had to be caught by Hall.

 

Bustamante had one of the biggest chances to double the hosts’ lead after captain Jackson won the ball on the left-hand-side and hit a brilliant pass towards the Chilean winger who couldn’t keep his effort down.

 

Then came the only negative of the night as goal-scorer Roberts looked to have tweaked his hamstring and was forced off. On came Ben Scorey, whilst Ajani Burchall also replaced Max Bustamante after another tireless performance.

 

13 minutes from time, Smith yet again had an opportunity to score after he headed inches wide from Williams’ in-swinging cross.

 

Crampton was then called into action once more and made a big save to his left to deny Gosport a late equaliser from close range. Munn then made way for Alex Borges to see out the result.

 

Following five minutes of additional time, the final whistle signalled an important home win for Wimborne Town to move them up to third in the table. Gosport were unbeaten in six-games on the road and have been free-scoring, so to win and keep a clean sheet is an excellent result, avenging the 1-0 reverse from back in September. Next up is a visit to London as the Magpies take on Hanwell Town this Saturday.

 

Kai Crampton; Drew Eccott-Young, Billy Walker, Sam Roberts (Ben Scorey 74’), Sam Jackson (C); Josh McQuoid, Josh Carmichael (Owen Roundell 69’), Cam Munn (Alex Borges 89’); Lewis Williams, Max Bustamante (Ajani Burchall 74’), Will Fletcher (Joe Smith 64’)

Attendance: 494

Match Report: Euan Thomas

Match Stats:

	Magpies	Borough
Goal attempts on target	14	4
Goal attempts off target	5	3
Goal attempts blocked	6	0
Corners	6	4
Fouls conceded	5	16
Offside	0	1
Cards	1Y	2Y