MATCH REPORT: Wimborne Town 4-2 Willand Rovers

Wimborne Town 4

Willand Rovers 2

Sat 25th November 2023

Goals: Lovell x3, Beale

Att: 695

Jack Lovell was the star of the show with a first Wimborne hat-trick of the season as The Magpies brushed aside early table-toppers Willand Rovers on a sun-drenched, but very cold November afternoon in front of another massive crowd at New Cuthbury.

Manager Tim Sills made two changes to his starting line-up after last Saturday’s disappointing defeat at Cribbs: Sam Roberts joining Connor Cocklin in central defence, and Jack Lovell leading the front-line.

After Cam Munn had raced back to win possession from Willand’s first attack, and keeper Ross Flitney had advanced from his area to head away their next, Wimborne took the lead on sixteen minutes. A clever turn by Lewis Beale wide on the right made room for Oakley Hanger to deliver a trade-mark cross which Jack Lovell headed past keeper Burton with a prodigious leap.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/CYdiv0hJ0n4″][vc_column_text]Three minutes later Lovell was played through down the inside-right channel only for the visitors’ stopper to stand strong and thwart the striker. Wimborne continued to create clear-cut chances: Beale headed Sam Jackson’s long cross from the left straight at the keeper; the two Sams, Jackson and Griffin, combined cleverly down the left before Munn poked the low cross wide; Beale volleyed another Jackson cross wide at the far post; Jackson headed Matt Neale’s corner wide; inventive one-touch combinations ended with Lovell shooting wide from an acute angle; Harry Morgan headed Beale’s cross wide; and Morgan’s shot was cleared off the line by the well-positioned Guppy.

With Wimborne collectively defending from the front, and midfield and defence blocking many attempted crosses, Willand’s first shot on goal didn’t come until three minutes before half-time: Camilo firing over.

But it didn’t take Willand as long to threaten Flitney’s goal after the interval. In the first minute, Howe’s header from Moulden’s cross was cleared by Jackson; and two minutes later Guppy thumped a header against the big stopper’s chest from a corner. Wimborne responded well. After Morgan had fired wide from Munn’s delicate touch, they extended their lead six minutes into the half. Burton and one of his defenders bumped into each other on the edge of the box as they went to clear an innocuous looking cross; Lovell was quickest to respond and hooked the ball into the unguarded net.

As Willand looked to get back in the game, play now flowed from end-to-end. Munn and Neale exchanged delightful one-twos before Beale’s cross was cleared; Guppy’s snap-shot came off Flitney for a corner; Flitney’s pin-point clearance was headed on by Griffin for Lovell, on a hat-trick, to fire over the bar. In their next attack the home side scored a third. Neale’s corner was headed goalwards by Sam Roberts, a defender blocked it on the line before Beale rifled it home from close-range. With Wimborne rampant, it seemed just a matter of how many more.

But the team from Devon are a resilient bunch, and seven minutes later they pulled one back. Wright was left in plenty of space on the left of the penalty area; his shot beat Flitney but came back off the foot of the far post for Howe to net the rebound. After Griffin had come in off his wing and forced a fine save from Burton, who then saved Morgan’s shot, the visitors scored again on seventy-nine minutes. A poor clearance was picked off in the centre-circle, Willand attacked with pace, and Wright scored after a first effort came back off Flitney.

With ten minutes of normal time left, were Wimborne’s nerves beginning to jangle? Not a bit of it! Four minutes later a deft touch from Munn gave Lovell room to bag his hat-trick from ten yards. However, Willand did create a couple more chances: Howe hit a dangerous ball across the face of the goal; and Guppy found room to head a free-kick over the bar. And almost immediately referee Terry gave a final blast on his whistle, and Wimborne’s unbeaten run at New Cuthbury continued.

Worth Staying For: Stick around in the clubhouse post match

Tim’s team had 20 goal attempts, scored from four of them, bagged three points to stay top of the table, in front of a near-700 crowd, with a packed Clubhouse for the post-match interviews, after there were three tables of sponsors for the pre-match lunch. Non-league football is clearly doing rather well in BH21.

Match stats:
Wimborne: Flitney, Hanger (Scorey 64), Roberts (Capt), Cocklin, Jackson, Neale (Satterley 71), Morgan, Griffin, Beale, Munn (Baker 85), Lovell

Unused subs: Johnston, Walker

Attendance: 695