MAGPIES 0

SHORTWOOD UNITED 1

A CONTROVERSIAL second-half penalty sent the visitors through to the third qualifying round of this season’s FA Cup and saw the Magpies crash at the first hurdle.

Duncan Culley converted from the spot on 62 minutes after Dorchester debutant Josh Wakefield was adjudged to have handled while trying to protect his face from a fierce attempt on goal.

The hosts were reduced to 10 men immediately after the award when Steve Walker was handed a second yellow card.

Last year’s cup heroics against Plymouth seemed a distant memory as Dorchester huffed and puffed to find an equaliser and in truth they rarely threatened after going behind.

A big boost for the hosts before the game came in the shape of Jake Smeeton being declared fit after fracturing a toe and he replaced Danny Way, who dropped to the bench following his first senior goal last weekend.

As expected, new loan recruit Wakefield came in for the suspended Lewis Morgan and there was something of a surprise among the substitutes with former player-manager Ashley Vickers alongside Jack Twyford, Anthony Rolls and Jason Kennard.

Vickers, now 42, has signed for the club on non-contract forms having been at Blackfield & Langley last season.

Dorchester would have loved to have stamped their authority on the tie early on but it was the visitors who nearly went in front twice within a minute.

First, Smeeton came to the rescue, launching himself into the air to block a shot from United full-back Sam Avery.

Then moments later a slip by Walker allowed Tim Hancock a shot at goal but unfortunately for him the ball struck the base of a post.

Smeeton was involved again soon after but this time it was to receive a yellow card from referee Aarron Moody for a foul on John Cant just outside his own area.

There may not have been any goals in the first 25 minutes but it certainly wasn’t a tie without incident.

Sadly for Danny Green, his match came to an abrupt halt when, without anyone near him, he went down in a heap with a right leg problem.

Way came on for him and the Magpies had to reshuffle in defence with Neil Martin moving to the left and Mark Jermyn to the right of the back four.

On 35 minutes Jermyn found himself in the Shortwood box and went close with a strong header from Smeeton’s cross, before Culley should have hit the target but didn’t when getting on the end of a Matt Bennett centre.

The Magpies started the second period strongly and a great chance fell to Arran Pugh but he could only head straight at United keeper Tom King from Martin’s floated corner.

It wasn’t long before things took a turn for the worse for the hosts – not the first time that’s been said this season.

When a powerful drive from a United player was unleashed on the edge of the Magpies’ box the immediate reaction of Wakefield, no more than five yards away, was the protect his face.

The ball did strike his hands but he probably would have ended up in the net had he not taken evasive action.

However, the official wasn’t so sympathetic and pointed to the spot then showed Walker a second yellow card in the space of three minutes, this one for showing his obvious fury with the decision. Aristide Bassele was also booked for dissent in the aftermath.

Eventually, Culley dispatched the penalty past Walker-Harris.

Wakefield nearly equalised when his screamer glanced the top of the United bar, and the midfielder thought he had won Dorchester a penalty of their own only to see the referee give a free-kick the other way.

With Vickers on for Wakefield, the Magpies began to throw everything forward but the former Dorchester manager’s first contribution was to pick up a yellow card.

The visitors picked up a couple of their own for Alton Axton and captain Jake Parrott and they could have scored a second in injury time only for Walker-Harris to tip Kevin Slack’s effort around the post.

Magpies: Walker-Harris, Green (Way 25), Smeeton, Jermyn (c), Walker, Pugh, Crittenden, Wakefield (Vickers 60), Watson, Bassele, Martin. Subs not used: Twyford, Rolls, Kennard, Sandercombe

Shortwood: King, Avery, Bennett, Pritchett, Coates, Baldwin, T Hancock, Parrott (c), Culley (Slack 60), Mann, Cant (Axton 78). Subs not used: N Hancock, Brown, Langworthy, Herbert