Match Preview – Wimborne Town vs Tavistock

 

Eight Saturdays left, and what an exciting run-in our division is going to have. By my reckoning, fourteen teams out of the nineteen have a realistic chance of being in the promotion play-offs. There’s just seven points separating fourth from fourteenth, with some having four games in hand.

 

On Saturday, we get to play Tavistock for the first time this season. This is the West Devon team’s second season at Step 4. Last time Stuart Henderson’s squad acquitted themselves really well at this level, winning ten of their nineteen away games, finishing sixth, a mere one place and two points behind The Magpies with Liam Prynn scoring an eye-catching 28 goals.

 

 

The Lambs’ 2023-24 season makes fascinating reading to a neutral, but probably frustrating reading to a supporter. They could only manage one goal as they lost their opening three league games. However, manager Henderson quickly put things right as his team then went on an eight-game unbeaten run, including four consecutive away wins at Exmouth (1-0), Paulton (2-0), BMF (3-2), and Westbury (3-2). With hindsight, the pick of their results during that run was a 5-4 win at Langsford Park over Cribbs – given that Cribbs have a miserly defence, well they did until Wednesday’s 5-1 loss at Larkhall, that was an impressive score-line.

 

Next, end November to early January, after that unbeaten run came another run – five consecutive defeats, culminating in a 0-2 home loss to bottom club Exmouth on 13th January. What’s the best way to bounce back from that? Thump high-flying Frome 6-2, of course! OK Tavi had a little help from their friends at Plymouth Parkway as loanee Dylan Jones bagged a hat-trick, but it was another impressive result. A 4-3 win on the 3G at Bishops Cleeve, and a 1-5 loss at Yate followed – that was 21 goals in three games – now that’s what you call total football. Tavi’s last five games have been two wins, two losses, and a draw –  a 2-1 home win over Paulton, and 1 -0 win at Melksham, followed by two 1-3 losses – at Frome and at home to Willand, and Wednesday’s 1-1 home draw in the return fixture with Melksham (Tavi’s equaliser came in the 97th minute).

 

 

With up to four games in hand on their play-off rivals, it leaves Tavistock 14th with a W10 D3 L11 GF 42 GA 48 record; on their travels it’s a symmetrical W6 D0 L6 record. A couple more stats: they’ve failed to score only once in their last eighteen league games; they’ve only kept one clean sheet in their last sixteen. Liam Prynn is among the goals again this season, but also keep an eye open for Alex Battle and Daniel Koita.

 

Wimborne’s form has been more consistent. An unbeaten home record (W10 D3) and four consecutive wins on the road, including Saturday’s 3-1 win at Mousehole in Cornwall, have opened up a four-point lead at the top of the table. Their record is W17 D6 L4 GF 57 GA 30. Cam Munn has scored in each of the last three games, and Matty Burrows, on loan from Totton, has taken the opportunity to impress with both feet! Manager Sills will again be without recovering Jez Bedford and Sam Roberts, but Connor Cocklin has been on the bench for the last two games. Are you ready for some more stats about The Magpies’ impressive season? In our division, they’re top of the current form table; are the top scorers; have the best defensive record; and the highest average attendance (646).

 

 

Last season Wimborne did the double over Tavistock thanks to the “B” boys: – 2-1 at Langsford Road in November, goals by Dan Bartlett and Harry Baker; and 2-0 at New Cuthbury in January, goals by Jez and Bakes. They were the first league meetings between the teams.

 

A meeting between two teams who like to play proper football, two teams with the best disciplinary records in the division, two teams wanting the points to aid their promotion push – now that’s worth coming to New Cuthbury to see. After all, it’s what Saturday afternoons were made for!

 

With interest in Wimborne’s progress growing, it’s likely there’ll be another large crowd. If you are travelling by car and park on the nearby streets, please do so respectfully to our neighbours. The changed Morebus no.13 route is now operational and runs along Leigh Road from and to The Square twice an hour.

 

Admission: adults £12, concessions £8, U16s £5, U13s £2. A packed printed programme will be on sale – it’s a proper job.

Weather forecast: cloudy; 10oC; 10% chance of rain.