Before the reverse fixture at The Wyatt Homes Stadium on the last day of November, former Wimborne legend Tom Killick’s Dorchester were lying 6th in the league table, while Tim Sills’ Wimborne were 15th. Fast forward twelve weeks and we find Tom’s team 5th with Tim’s team back to 15th after Tuesday evening’s massive win in the “Stourco” derby over Poole.
Dorchester are this division’s draw specialists with a W13 D14 L3 GF 53 FA 32 league record; at The Avenue their record is an impressive W11 D4 L1. Those home victories on the 3G include the scalps of Totton (3-2) and Gloucester (1-0); in 2025 they’ve beaten Winchester (1-0), Bracknell (1-0), and in their last home game Supermarine (4-1). They’ve scored four or more at home on four occasions, and drew 2-2 with Merthyr. The only home game they’ve dropped points in this calendar year was the 1-1 draw with Sholing on 25th January. That single home defeat this season was a surprising 3-0 loss to Hanwell before the clocks changed in October. Home and away, they’ve gone 17 games unbeaten, so it’s no surprise that they’re also 5th in the current form (last six games) table.
Who should we keep an eye on? Olaf Konzsela always impresses leading the line, and he has banged in 17 league goals; Marcus Daws and Shaquille Gwengwe are also among the goals; in midfield former Dolphin Corby Moore regularly catches the eye, and look out for Will Spetch, another former Dolphin, when the commanding defender comes forward for set pieces (probably delivered by Moore); shot stopper Gerard Benfield is another familiar name.
After the 1-1 draw with league leaders Merthyr on Saturday, and Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Killick’s former team Poole, Wimborne’s record is W9 D7 L13 GF 35 GA 46; away from the Wyatt Homes Stadium it’s W2 D3 L8; our last outing saw a 2-2 draw at Hanwell with Matty Burrows and Jack Lovell scoring. As this will be Wimborne’s third game in eight days, it’s quite likely that Sills will rotate players to keep legs fresh.
Can history tells us anything? Since we joined the Southern League, we’ve visited The Avenue for seven Premier Division and FA competition games: in the league we drew 1-1 in 2018-19, lost 1-0 in 19-20, drew 0-0 in 20-21, and lost 3-0 in 21-22; in FA Cup replays we lost 3-0 in 2018-19, and lost 1-0 in 22-23; and in the FA Trophy we won 3-1 in 2014-15.
And that reverse fixture in November? Well, it was rather eventful: Will Fletcher gave Wimborne an early lead; Tom Bragg was sent off in the 55th minute; Wes Fogden then equalised on the hour mark; and Will Spetch was also sent for an early shower near the end.
One of The Magpies to win this Dorset derby? Probably – but don’t discount the possibility of a draw, after all Dorch are the division’s specialists. This has all the makings of being a fizzer for our final fixture of February. Can you be there? Tim’s team will appreciate our support. COYM!
Dorchester’s ground: The Avenue Stadium, Weymouth Ave, Dorchester DT1 2RY – next to the large Tesco store
Admission at the turnstiles: Adults: £14; concessions: £11; 12-16s: £6; U12s: £3
– online tickets are £2 cheaper for all categories.
Average att: 669
If you are attending be aware that the other Magpies play in black and white too!
Weather forecast: sunny intervals; 11oC; 20% chance of rain.
