MATCH REPORT: Wimborne Town 2-1 Larkhall Athletic

Wimborne Town 2

Larkhall Athletic 1

Tue 28th November 2023

Goals: Lovell, Jackson

Att: 440

Two headed second-half goals in the space of five minutes by Jack Lovell and Sam Jackson saw Wimborne take the points in a fast-flowing, end-to-end game of attacking football. It was the Magpies seventh consecutive league win at New Cuthbury.

Not surprisingly, manager Tim Sills sent out the same starting XI who had played so well on Saturday. Jez Bedford returned to a strong-looking substitutes bench.

After the kick-off was slightly delayed by the late arrival of the visitors, the Larks made a flying start. A perfectly weighted through ball saw right-winger Lambert race clear before cutting the ball back across the danger area; Regula’s thirty-five yard central free-kick seemed optimistic until he struck it, only to be foiled by Ross Flitney’s flying save for a corner; and the big stopper made another brilliant sprawling save to thwart the speedy Regula when he was played through one-on-one; the visitors forced four corners in the opening minutes.

There was plenty of goalmouth action at the other end too. Harry Morgan fired wide when Matty Neale’s corner was half-cleared, a shot at the far post from his next corner was cleared off the line, and Jack Lovell headed wide. All this action, and only twenty minutes on the clock. Wimborne were recycling the ball intelligently as they probed for an opening. Neale blasted over following a clever one-two. Two teams looking to attack – it was end-to-end, full of fast, flowing football.

On twenty-nine minutes, it was the visitors who broke the deadlock. Coming in off the left-wing, Regula’s twenty-yard shot took a deflection to fly past Flitney. The hosts came back strongly: Sam Griffin headed Lewis Beale’s cross over the bar; and Connor Cocklin’s header from Neale’s thirty-seventh minute corner was cleared off the line. Then, three minutes into time added-on, Larkhall came within a whisker of doubling their lead. Ferris anticipated a weak header back to Flitney and lobbed the stranded keeper only to see his effort take an age to float inches over the bar.

Wimborne quickly took control in the second-half with Morgan heavily involved. Following a passing move down the left, Cam Munn’s lofted flick made room for him to shoot over; his far-post header from Neale’s corner was brilliantly turned onto the woodwork by Nasta, Larkhall’s young keeper; and it was the keeper who saved Morgan’s next effort, a snap overhead attempt. But the youngster was beaten on sixty-one minutes. Oakley Hanger’s free-kick on the left was recycled back to him, and this time his trade-mark cross into the box was at the right pace, and in the right place, for Lovell to head home – his fourth goal in two games.

The visitors almost restored their lead from the re-start, Ferris forcing Flitney into a fine save. But with the packed crowd behind the housing-estate end roaring them on, the Magpies surged forwards. Morgan’s low shot was saved, and Griffin fired over before they took the lead on sixty-five minutes. Sam Jackson evaded his marker to stoop low and forcefully head Neale’s right-wing corner into the net from five yards.

Larkhall went looking for an equaliser with their fast-paced counter-attacks, but with the experienced Sam Roberts in commanding form both in the air and on the ground, and the even more experienced Flitney barking out orders, the home defence was in no mood to yield. With Neale twisting and turning in midfield, then charging at Larkhall’s defence, it seemed just a matter of time before another goal, but it was not to be, not even in the six minutes added on.

It was a bitterly cold evening, but the excitement and drama of this feast of flowing football warmed the hands and hearts of the large crowd. Larkhall are one of the best footballing sides we’ve seen this season, and deserve to be in the play-off mix. But they were overwhelmed by the second-half performance of Tim’s team who are making New Cuthbury a fortress. All they have to do now is to replicate that in away games – simples!

Match stats:

Wimborne: Flitney, Hanger, Roberts (Capt), Cocklin (Satterley 83), Jackson, Neale, Morgan, Griffin, Beale (Bedford 88), Munn (Scorey 70), Lovell

Unused subs: Baker, Walker

Attendance: 440