MERLEY COBHAM SPORTS 2

BALTI SPORTS 3

MARCO Nott heralded the importance of Dan Welch as his Balti Sports side beat Merley Cobham Sports 3-2 to stay top of the Dorset Premier League.

Welch scored the winner from a corner in the 88th minute just three minutes after Mark Groves had levelled for the hosts.

Merley also took the lead in the 25th minute through Jamie Kay. However, goals from the powerful strike partnership of Ricky Lane and Danny Andrews gave Balti a slim advantage before the dramatic finale.

Speaking about the game, Nott said: “It was a really close game between two good sides.

“They are an experienced side with great strikers but Dan Welch and Phillip Anderson were superb.

“They matched the centre forwards and it was a good, old-fashioned battle.

“We conceded two goals but, that was nothing to do with them. That was individual errors.

“They were outstanding. Dan has come in from Chickerell and he’s sort of like a manager out on the pitch, which is refreshing.

“We didn’t really have that last season. We didn’t have that leader on the pitch and he is talking all the time.

“It was a great header for the goal and I don’t think he knew what he was going to do with the celebration.

“He doesn’t score many goals but, he was arguably our man of the match.”

However, it didn’t start too well for the Weymouth-based side as they fell behind midway through the first half.

After the visitors failed to clear their lines, the ball fell to Kay, who rattled home a shot into the top corner from the edge of the box.

Undeterred, Balti struck back 10 minutes before the break. On his debut, Sean Zima, who signed from Weymouth Reserves, crossed the ball to see the keeper fumble it and Andrews stole in to tap the ball home.

Balti continued to exert their dominance as Lane put them into the lead.

Zima headed the ball over the top of Merley’s defence to find the striker and Lane made no mistake the finish.

There was some brief panic for the away side as Groves levelled the game with eight minutes to play. But, up stepped Welch to score from a corner and spark wild celebrations.

Up next for Nott’s men is a home league game against Hamworthy United Reserves on Saturday (3pm).

Balti: A Nott, Pearce, Welch, Anderson, Lock, Nichols-Major, Kenderdine, Devaney (Proffitt 83), Zima (Preece 83), Andrews, Lane. Subs not used: M Nott