YATE TOWN 1 MAGPIES 2

NEW Magpies’ boss Graham Kemp was quick to praise his players for the way they ended a tough week at the club on a high at Lodge Road on Saturday.

Already going through a difficult time of it on the pitch, the Avenue was rocked last Tuesday morning by the sudden passing of diehard Dorchester Town fan and popular kitman Alex Legge.

But against Yate the squad showed what they are made of, delivering the sort of battling performance that Legge would have been proud of.

And the importance of the FA Cup first qualifying round victory was not lost on Kemp, who got his reign as Dorchester manager off to the perfect start just 48 hours after his appointment.

“I’m very happy,” he said. “It was nice to get a result which made the coach journey home a lot different to recent weeks.

“I couldn’t fault anybody. To win 2-1 away from home in the FA Cup after the month we’ve had was quite an achievement and the lads deserve full credit for it.

“We talked before the game and felt there were a handful of extra reasons why we needed to give a little bit more.

“It was for themselves, the club and supporters, me and Stuart Heath, and obviously for Alex.

“You should always give everything you have but sometimes in life things are thrown at you and I hope Alex’s dad Stacey would have seen that result and had a little smile on his face after such a tough few days.”

He added: “I’m going to enjoy this result, not so much for me but for the club.

“The whole club and community should enjoy this result.”

Dorchester had to come from behind to secure their place in the second qualifying round on September 27.

Yate made the running early on and Magpies’ keeper Alan Wal-ker-Harris denied Jake Jackson from giving the hosts the lead.

Kemp’s charges hit back and Martin Horsell kept out a Steve Walker header, then Nathan Walker headed a set-piece against the crossbar.

The Bluebells took the lead on 19 minutes with a close-range header from Lewis Haldane, but the visitors responded immediately thanks to a stunning strike by Dan Smith.

Picking the ball up just outside the Yate 18-yard box, Smith unleashed a scorching shot that flew in off the upright.

Walker-Harris kept out a Haldane volley early in the second period and the visiting stopper saved twice from Jackson to keep it at 1-1.

The winning goal came in the 72nd minute when some neat interplay involving Nick Critten-den, in the starting line-up in place of Callum Buckley, ended with Dan Cann tapping in.

Given their poor run of form in the league, and Yate’s impressive start to the season down in Southern League Division One South & West, Saturday was always going to be a potential banana skin for the Magpies.

However, they did exactly what was required and Kemp will now be looking to use the win as a building block for the rest of the season.

He said: “You can’t start much better than an away win in the FA Cup, and it’s a good foundation for us to build on.

“We’ll take the good points from our performance, think about the bad ones, and then focus on the next game.”

And speaking about the work assistant-manager Stuart Heath did as caretaker before his arrival, Kemp continued: “I’m really pleased for Stuart because he has put a lot of time and effort
into holding the fort while the club has been looking for a manager.”

In winning Saturday’s tie, the Magpies also picked up £3,000 in prize money.

Yate: Horsell, Tippins, Staley, Chandler, Lewis, Abraham, T Warren, Evans, Jackson, Haldane, Ricketts. Subs: Harmer, Guest, Felix, Cox, Meaker, H Warren, Worton

Magpies: Walker-Harris, Hanger, Smeeton, Gleeson, N Walker, S Walker, Crittenden, Lanahan, Cann, Joyce, D Smith. Subs: Buckley, Rolls, Agbo, Godfrey, Brookes, Woodland, Murphy

Referee: Christopher Kidd (Bicester)

Attendance: 189