WESTON-SUPER-MARE 1 Dorchester TOWN 1

MATT Tubbs was denied a late winner by a goal-line clearance as Dorchester went close to getting their first away win of the season at Woodspring Park last night.

Dorchester's man of the match neatly lobbed Weston keeper Stuart Jones and was getting ready to celebrate when defender Steven Benton popped up on the line to boot the ball away.

In the Magpies forceful finish Jones also pulled off a superb diving save from Justin Keeler in the 81st minute and then parried another Tubbs effort before Benton again scooped the loose ball for a corner.

Both sides were applauded off the pitch at the end of an entertaining and exciting Dr Martens Premier Division game which was the first league meeting between the sides since the 1960s.

The game had everything, good fast one-touch football, two cracking goals and lots of near misses at both ends.

Busiest men on the field were the two goalkeepers with Magpies' Mark Ormerod matching Weston's Jones save for save.

Dorchester were first to show with Tubbs' strong run down the left on four minutes, but his high cross

drifted over the home crossbar. Then on seven minutes, Dorchester forced their first corner when Weston's Benton, trying to clear, miskicked, and from the flag kick defender Andy Harris headed over.

Ormerod had to come quickly off his line to clear on nine minutes when Mark Jermyn's attempted back-pass was almost intercepted by Weston's liveliest striker Giuseppe Sorbara, and the home side created another chance on 11 minutes when Mark McKeever's free-kick was knocked on by Jon French, but Sorbara wasted a good chance by firing wide.

A quick break out of defence by Matt Hann saw him through the home defence on 13 minutes, but he fouled McKeever near the home goal.

Ormerod had to come outside his area on 20 minutes to head to safety, when Danny O'Hagan followed up a high lob and beat the defensive cover, while at the other end, Dorchester had their first shot on target when Hann accepted Mark Rawllinson's pass to test Jones.

Weston broke the deadlock on 26 minutes when McKeever and Slater combined for a quick break down the left and when Slater's low cross was not cleared to safety, Sorbara scored from 20 yards.

Ten minutes later, Ormerod, on the edge of his area was beaten by Slater's through ball, but Alex Browne was on his line to clear the danger. Then Slater and O'Hagan combined in another quick break but from Slater's cross, Tony Davis' shot was hacked away.

In sustained Dorchester pressure, a high cross by Holmes found Justin Keeler whose shot off a defender deflected for another corner and Tubbs' shot was again turned behind.

But just before the interval, Weston should have added a second goal when McKeever's low cross found Sorbara whose shot was hacked off the line as far as O'Hagan who scooped his follow-up effort over the bar from a couple of yards with Ormerod stranded.

The Magpies kept Weston pinned in their own half for a spell at the start

of the second half but three times in four minutes promising attacks foundered against the home side's offside trap.

The pressure paid off on 56 minutes however when Michael Walker's free-kick was not cleared by the home defence and Matt Holmes scored with a delightful 25-yard volley that gave Jones no chance.

O'Hagan forced Weston's only corner of the game late on with a shot on the turn and Sorbara had a shot deflected behind.