MAGPIES 3

Craig 43, Yeoman 51, Gleeson 90

BROMLEY 2

May 82, Dennis 87

DORCHESTER Town turned the Skrill South table on its head this afternoon with Jamie Gleeson’s 90th-minute strike earning them a thoroughly deserved victory over runaway league leaders Bromley at the Avenue.

The midfielder surged forward to net the winner just minutes after the visitors had seemingly rescued a point having come back from two goals down with a quickfire double.

Nathan Craig and Ashley Yeoman, who had only joined the club the previous day on loan from Torquay, had debuts to remember with both scoring either side of the break to put the Magpies in command.

The win finally lifted Dorchester off the bottom of the table and the county town club will now be hoping that the result can be the starting point for a real push to avoid relegation.

Dorchester made two changes to the side that started the 2-0 defeat to Havant the previous Tuesday, new loan signings Yeoman and Craig replacing Ryan Case and Jack Twyford.

Sam Lanahan, the club’s player of the month for December and January, dropped to right-back in place of Case, with Craig in midfield and Yeoman in a more attacking role on the right.

Steve Walker was back in the squad after suspension and took a place on the bench as Elliot Ward and Calvin Brooks missed out altogether.

Ashley Nicholls lined up in Bromley boss Mark Goldberg’s midfield and former Weymouth man Pierre Joseph-Dubois was also included in the visitors’ starting XI.

As well as the two sides, the pitch at the Avenue was always going to play a big part in proceedings and, thanks to a couple of deluges before and during the first half, the playing surface turned into something more akin to a ploughed farmer’s field.

However, on the evidence of the first half, the pitch wasn’t much of a problem for the Magpies as they largely bossed the play, making a mockery of both clubs’ positions in the table.

The hosts started the clash on the front foot and, either side of a few timely interventions from Nathan Walker at one end, Warren Byerley saw a header gathered by Bromley keeper Joe Welch.

Some 15 minutes in Welch was tested again when collecting Yeoman’s deflected effort.

All of Bromley’s best chances in the first period fell to the league’s top scorer, Bradley Goldberg, but he didn’t seem to have his shooting boots on.

He missed the top corner with one attempt, pushed another wide of the far post with the next, and was then denied by Alan Walker-Harris later in the half.

You couldn’t find fault with any of the Dorchester contingent before the interval and midway through Byerley miscued having been found by the impressive Charlie Losasso.

Losasso tried his luck from range again a few minutes before the break then, seconds later, the Magpies took a deserved lead.

The hard-working Byerley won a free-kick some 22 yards out and debutant Craig stepped up to place the ball in Welch’s bottom left corner.

In a bid to get back on level terms, Bromley brought on Elliott Buchanan for Joseph-Dubois at half-time, but their hopes of making it 1-1 were dealt a huge blow in the 51st minute.

The ball was worked nicely to marauding left-back Jake Smeeton and his low ball to the far post was dispatched by Yeoman to double Dorchester’s advantage.

With a two-goal cushion, the big question was whether or not the Magpies could hold on for a memorable victory.

The game’s first yellow card arrived when home skipper Mark Jermyn was booked for bringing down Goldberg just after Yeoman had struck.

Sensing they had to go for broke, the visitors replaced captain Rob Swaine and defender Danny Waldren with Nic McDonnell and Louis Dennis.

The table-toppers thought they had been given a lifeline back into the contest but referee Andrew Laver waved away appeals for a penalty.

Their supporters behind the goal were adamant Nathan Walker had blocked a cross with his hand, however, the best they got was a corner.

Bromley were inevitably beginning to boss possession but they weren’t really creating any clear cut chances.

However, from a free-kick on the right, the ball fell to Jay May 10 yards out and he found the bottom corner to halve the deficit and make it a nervy last eight minutes for the hosts.

It then looked like the Magpies had suffered heartache when substitute Louis Dennis curled a shot past Walker-Harris to make it 2-2 – from the reaction of the Bromley camp they thought a point had been saved.

But just when the home fans had thought their side had let victory slip through their fingers, up popped Gleeson in the very last minute of normal time to score a dramatic winner.

A long ball by Walker found Losasso and his slide rule pass was met by the David Beckham look-a-like to secure a sensational three points for the county town outfit.

Magpies: Walker-Harris, Lanahan, Smeeton, Jermyn, N Walker, Craig (Makoni 90+3), Crittenden, Gleeson, Yeoman (Case 86), Byerley (S Walker 90+1), Losasso.

Subs not used: Munday, Twyford.

Bromley: Welch, Pooley, Anderson, Waldren (Dennis 67), Swaine (McDonnell 67), Holland, Joseph-Dubois (Buchanan 46), Nicholls, May, Goldberg, Jarrett.

Subs not used: Parmenter, Dennis.

Yellow cards: Magpies – Jermyn (foul 53)

Bromley – None

Referee: Andrew Laver (Portsmouth)

Attendance: 417