Magpies: Dorchester seal double over Frome Town as they ease to comfortable win

TWO goals from captain Jake Smeeton and a strike from substitute David Jerrard saw Dorchester Town ease to a 3-0 victory over the 10 men of Frome Town.

Smeeton netted twice in the first half – one from a free kick and the other from the spot – before Frome went down to 10 before the break after Corby Moore was given his marching orders for two bookable offences.

The second half was killed off by the hosts as Jerrard put the exclamation mark on a professional performance with a chipped finish three minutes from time.

There were a host of changes for the county town side. Mark Jermyn rested himself along with Dory Yates and David Jerrard. Neil Martin had to sit out the game through suspension and Ollie Bassett was not in the squad having returned to his parent club, Yeovil Town, after a month with the Magpies.

There was returns to the starting line-up for Smeeton and Mario Mateus as well as full debuts for Joe Lea and Tom Blair.

And it was Blair who caught the eye in the opening exchanges. Playing on the left wing, he delivered two accurate crosses into the box only to see Nathan Walker volley over the bar and Lewis Morgan hit the upright.

Not only was he producing with great crosses, he was also finding success on his own. Twice he found room inside the box after beating defenders, but his shots lacked power.

Although Dorchester were threatening, Frome were also finding space in behind the hosts. In one worrying moment, Aiden Kirby was able to find space through the heart of the backline. He seemed to be clean through only for Chris Dillon to thwart him with a well-time sliding tackle.

Blair may have been the source of joy for the county town side but it was their captain Smeeton to break the deadlock. He picked himself up to curl the set-piece over the wall and into the far corner giving Kyle Phillips no chance.

The hosts kept putting the pressure on. Mateus fizzed a shot over the bar before Smeeton was involved again in the 37th minute.

Mateus won the ball in the box and was barged over by Clayton Green, giving the referee no choice but to award a penalty. Up stepped the captain to place his spot-kick into the corner to double both his tally and his side’s advantage.

There was a feeling of déjà vu for the Robins, who suffered a 4-0 loss at the hands of the Magpies last month ­– a game that included a red card for Frome.

This game followed the same pattern, as just before half-time, Moore – having been booked for dissent in the 40th minute, was then given his marching orders just before the break for simulation.

It gave the Robins a mountain to climb as they came out for the second half and they struggled to break down Dorchester, who were trying to take the sting out of the game and protect their lead.

That came under threat just after the hour mark as substitute Jake Jackson, having just come on for Aiden Kirby, was able to keep Oldring guessing before curling a right-footed effort just wide from the edge of the box.

It was a clear-cut chance for the forward, and he will feel he could’ve done better.

The Magpies bought on Jermyn and Yates for Blair, who was less involved in the second half, and Lea as they looked to close the game out.

With those changes, Smeeton was moved to left-back ­– greatly reducing his chances of a hat-trick. The home faithful were left to wait for that event, however, they didn’t have to wait long for another dismissal – of sorts.

In the 77th minute, Frome’s acting manager and substitute, Josh Jefferies, was sent to the stands for arguing over a decision – much to the delight of the home fans.

There was more fanfare with three minutes to go for the Avenue faithful as Jerrard netted on the counter. Jermyn nicked the ball away on halfway to find Walker. He, in turn, found the onrushing midfielder, who made no mistake with a delicate finish that killed the game off.

The Magpies took their foot off the gas and eased over the line to win their first game in five and their first clean sheet in six to please manager Jermyn ahead of a sterner test on Saturday against Redditch United.

Magpies: Murphy, Crittenden, Smeeton, Wood, Oldring, Dillon, Lea (Yates 68), Morgan, Walker, Mateus (Jerrard 82), Blair (Jermyn 68).

Subs not used: Mullis, Mitchell

Frome: Phillips, Miller, Green, Roberts, Summers, Cleverley (Regan 84), Davies, Miller, Kirby (Jackson 61), Moore, D Jefferies.

Subs not used: Teale, J Jefferies

Referee: James Durkin (Portland)

Bookings: Magpies – Smeeton

Frome – Moore, Roberts

Red Cards: Frome – Moore, J Jefferies