The season-ender was a game of two halves: The Hawks dominated the first and scored twice through top striker Ryan Seager; The Magpies dominated the second, but couldn’t find the net.

Manager Tim Sills made three changes: Ben Rodwell made his third start in goal, Matt Neale came into midfield, with Jack Lovell wide on the left.

Havant & Waterlooville needed to better Dorchester’s result at Hungerford to take the final play-off spot. Wimborne had secured their place in the division for next season, had achieved their highest-ever placing in the non-league pyramid, and had gained their highest points total at Step 3 – and brought nearly 200 supporters with them to Westleigh Park on a very warm afternoon.

As you’d expect from a team at the top of the current form table, the hosts knocked the ball around confidently from the start probing for an opening. But it was the visitors who fashioned the chances in the opening 10 minutes: Matt Neale fired over the bar from Owen Roundell-Prince’s long throw; Neale’s free-kick from right of the “D” deflected off the defensive wall for a corner; Josh Carmichael shot wide from the resulting cleverly-worked set-piece; and Carmichael’s ball over the top for the flying Matty Burrows was snuffed out by defenders.

Then Havant made their possession tell. Ben Rodwell saved Seager’s effort from a low cross from the left for the first of two corners in rapid succession; Carmichael headed Havant’s next attack clear, before, on 15 minutes, Seager opened the scoring. A low cross from the left evaded defenders and fell to the marksman who side-footed just inside the far post from five yards. For the next 15 minutes the midfields cancelled each other out before that man Seager scored again. Wide on the right, Maloney pin-pointed his cross onto the unmarked striker’s head to score from eight yards.

Havant threatened to over-run Wimborne, and in their next attack right-back Stanley raced to the by-line only for Maloney to shoot wide of the far post from his pull-back. Kealy’s pace and Owusu’s tricky feet were causing problems too. But it’s over half a season since Sam Roberts and Harvey Wright’s defence have conceded more than two in a game, and you could sense their determination not to let it happen here, even when Sam Jackson was bundled over by Maloney leading to pin-ball in the box, and Rodwell needed a strong hand to deflect a corner away from the danger area.

Wimborne totally dominated the first 42 minutes of the second-half as Havant seemed content to sit back and defend their precious lead. Carmichael’s 47th minute free-kick led to head tennis in the box; Jack Lovell took two touches to make space for a shot which was an easy save for Ferdinand; slick passing down the right led to a low cross from Burrows; Neale’s corner from the right was miss-kicked by a defender for an Eddie Waring “up and under”; Neale squeezed a ball through for Harry Morgan whose curler drifted over the top of post and bar; Carmichael’s 35 yard free-kick was saved on the line by the young shot-stopper; and Jez Bedford’s corner led to a scramble on the goal-line.

As the visitors pressed forward, there was always the danger of a rapid counter-attack. The first of these came on 87 minutes when Seager and Whittingham engineered a two on one but were thwarted by an excellent save from Rodwell; as time ticked over into seven additional minutes, Billy Walker cleared off the line; Wright bravely blocked a shot after Whittingham charged to the by-line; and Roberts stopped a promising Maloney dribble. The final attack of the game saw Wright head Bedford’s cross over the bar.

It was a brave effort by Tim’s team. Not for the first time this season, a weak first-half was followed by a strong second. And not for the first time this season, Wimborne had more goal attempts than the team who took the points. Havant did all they could to bag that play-off spot, but dramatic late events at Hungerford left The Hawks’ supporters with nothing to celebrate. The Magpies finished 10th of 22 in their first season back in the Southern Prem – now that is something for Wimborne supporters to celebrate.

Wimborne: Rodwell, Eccott-Young (Walker 79), Wright, Roberts, Jackson, Roundell-Prince (Morgan 46), Carmichael (Baker 79), Neale (Munn 71), Burrows (Bedford 61), Lovell, Fletcher

Attendance: 1,156

Match stats: