A second-half goal by Cam Munn was enough to give Wimborne all three points in a tough encounter on their return to the Southern Premier.

From the moment the teams strolled onto the fine-looking pitch, it was clear that the hosts would be in for a challenging afternoon. The opening twenty minutes were physical and feisty as the teams tested each other, and tested referee Cross who had to decide whether players ended up on the ground by fair means or foul! However, neither of the experienced shot-stoppers – Ross Flitney for Wimborne and Sam Beasant for Hanwell – had that skill tested in the first half. The visitors took every opportunity to launch high balls into Wimborne’s penalty area from free-kicks and Mackenzie’s prodigious throw-ins from anywhere in the home side’s defensive half. Flitney, Sam Roberts, Harvey Wright, Sam Jackson and Will Fletcher were prepared and waiting, and dealt effectively with them.

But Wimborne did fashion a handful of half-chances in the opening forty-five: Josh Carmichael skimmed Matt Neale’s corner wide on 20 minutes; Neale fired a free-kick into the defensive wall after Matty Burrows was taken down as he chased a through ball on the half-hour mark; Carmichael blasted wide from 30 yards on 38 minutes; Fletcher shot wide from distance; and just before the break, from Burrows’ corner, Carmichael’s scuffed volley was sent into the side-netting by Wright.

There was plenty of penalty-area action for the crowd after the interval. Wimborne’s Roberts sent Drew Eccott-Young charging down the right-wing, the full-back cut inside before forcing Beasant to make a diving save. Burrows chased down a soft back-pass, then was on hand to slam Fletcher’s ball into the net but the effort was ruled out for off-side. At the other end Flitney caught Rohart-Brown’s in-swinging corner inside the near post, Carr fizzed a shot just wide, Regis forced Flitney to turn his shot round the post, and the keeper saved Duncan’s header.

The winning goal came at the mid-point of the half. It started with a towering header from Jackson. He raced forward to join the attack, had his shot saved from Burrows pass before Cam Munn toe-poked the loose ball into the net from five yards. Carmichael spotted Beasant off his line only for his lob from wide on the right to drift over the bar; and substitute Sith Mdlalose went on an exciting run down the wing.

Hanwell’s manager Chris Moore, in the excellently-titled post-match interview “Three Moore Minutes” was disappointed that too many of his players were “off it”. That couldn’t be said of The Magpies. From Flitney to Fletcher, and the four subs (all five named subs can now be used), Tim’s team were “on it” from start to finish. Your reporter could mention the merits of every one of Wimborne’s fifteen players used, but I’ll restrict myself to saying that the new boys – Eccott-Young, Wright, Burrows and Fletcher – all had excellent games and fitted in well. And the two most recent signings, Sith and Adam Biss looked the part. In your reporter’s view, Carmichael had his best game since joining us: one pass in the second-half from one side of the pitch to the other was like a guided-missile! Even tougher challenges await, but this was an excellent start to our return to step 3. If this is the standard for this division, then, on this performance, we’re “Up where we belong”.

Wimborne: Flitney, Eccott-Young, Roberts (Walker 65), Wright, Jackson, Carmichael, Neale, Bedford (Mdlalose 65), Burrows (Biss 84), Munn (Baker 84), Fletcher

Unused sub: Cocklin

Attendance: 531

Match stats: