Blast from Ash rocks Magpies (From Dorset Echo)

Blast from Ash rocks Magpies

9:18am Wednesday 2nd January 2013 in Sport By David Williams, Sports Reporter

DORCHESTER TOWN 2 TRURO CITY 2

TRURO City’s captain marvel Jamie Ash blasted an injury-time equaliser to deny the Magpies all three points at the Avenue yesterday.

Dan Thompson and Ben Watson scored for Dorchester either side of a Kieffer Moore strike before Ash popped up in the dying stages to save a point for the bottom club who had been reduced to 10 men.

It was a crushing blow for Phil Simkin’s men who appeared to have started the new year in the best possible fashion after more than three weeks without a league game.

Dorchester do move out of the Blue Square Bet South relegation zone with the point but it would have felt more like a defeat than a draw for the county town side.

As expected, Nathan Walker started alongside Mark Jermyn at the heart of the Magpies’ defence with Charlie Clough and Arran Pugh suspended. Harry Bell had to settle for a place on the bench.

Nick Crittenden was given a rare start in midfield and George Colson, on loan from Portsmouth, made his league debut with Jake Gosling among the substitutes.

Former Fulham star Barry Hayles failed to make the trip for Truro and player-manager Lee Hodges could only name one substitute in testing times for his club.

There was a sign of things to come for the Magpies as early as the second minute when Crittenden floated a free-kick to the back post and Thompson saw his header tipped over for a corner by Luke McCor-mick.

Colson was trying to do all he could to impress and moments later he fired a shot across the face of goal before Jermyn stole in at the back post but could not direct his diving header towards goal.

Truro then had a great chance to take the lead when a long ball down the middle sent Andy Watkins away and his lob over Jason Matthews appeared to be heading in only for Walker to come to Dorchester’s rescue with a superb clearance from no more than three yards out.

A Colson header was comfortably saved by McCormick then the combination of Crittenden and Thompson came up trumps on 20 minutes when the former centred for the striker to glance in.

The alert Watkins went close with an acrobatic effort but a number of the Truro attacks were being snuffed out by Walker and Jermyn.

Just before the half-hour mark Thompson could have been in for a second but Ash, who had let the Magpies’ man in with a slip, got back to produce a potentially goal-saving tackle.

Four minutes before the break came the visitors’ equaliser. Some sloppy play from Dorchester right- back Jamie Symes saw him concede possession, Watkins found strike partner Moore and the teenager composed himself before firing low to Matthews’ right.

It nearly got much worse for the hosts on the stroke of half-time but, more through luck than judgement, Crittenden got back to clear from virtually on his own goal-line as Moore threatened to get a second.

The first sight on goal in the second period fell the way of the hosts but Watson could only shoot straight at McCormick then the keeper was back in action when Colson tested him from 20 yards.

With Watkins and Moore linking up well, Truro were not looking like a side at the bottom of the table. The darting runs of Watkins and 18-year-old Moore’s neat close control complimented each other well.

Magpies’ boss Simkin made a double change just after the hour with Gosling and Richard Logan replacing Colson and goalscorer Thomp-son.

And Gosling did not take long to get involved as he was scythed down by Les Afful who was rightly booked. He joined team-mate Marcus Martin in the referee’s notebook while Neil Martin was also yellow-carded 10 minutes earlier for Dorchester.

There looked to be an opening for the hosts as the ball fell the way of Watson but he could not connect properly and the frustration on the frontman’s face was clear for everyone to see.

A smattering of bookings saw both number fours, Jermyn and Hodges, cautioned along with Moore then with 15 minutes left Watson’s hard work paid off as he blasted the ball in off the underside of the bar after seeing his first effort blocked by Ash.

It was Watson’s first goal in five games and could have been added to by Logan only for his shot to go straight at McCormick.

Dorchester bossed the closing stages and Truro’s frustrations boiled over when Marcus Martin received his second yellow for a late challenge on Symes. Watkins be-came the fifth Truro player to have his name taken by referee Tim Wood shortly after.

Then, almost out of nothing, the visitors levelled in the 92nd minute when Ash controlled a long ball, steadied himself, and lashed a shot past Matthews from 12 yards to make it 2-2 at the death.

Magpies: Matthews, Symes, Martin, Jermyn, Walker, Gleeson, Crittenden, Nicholls, Thompson (Logan 61), Watson, Colson (Gosling 61). Subs not used: Smeeton, Bell, Malsom

Truro: McCormick, Hall, Williams, Hodges, Ash, Broad, Cooke (Watts 83), Martin, Moore, Watkins, Afful