Magpies: Oldring dismissed as Dorchester slip to another loss

MATT Oldring was sent off as Dorchester’s poor run of form continued at the Valley Stadium this afternoon.

Magpies defender Oldring received a second yellow card when giving away the penalty which Luke Shearer converted to put the hosts in front with 15 minutes of the match left.

George Carline headed in a corner not long after to make the points safe and help inflict the county town club’s fourth consecutive league defeat in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division.

For Dorchester, so much of Saturday was about trying to respond positively after the nightmare that was the 5-1 drubbing by Poole four days earlier.

Not only did that heavy defeat come against the club player-manager Mark Jermyn left to return to the Avenue in January, it was the manner of the performance from a side which until that point hadn’t lost at home in the league this term.

And unfortunately for some who began that clash with the Dolphins, there would be no place for them in the starting line-up at the Valley Stadium.

Jermyn, a second-half substitute against his former employers in midweek, brought himself and Oldring back into the side.

As well as that, young keeper Shane Murphy was dropped in favour of the experienced Alan Walker-Harris.

Ben Watson and Lewis Morgan were the other two players to miss out – Watson moved to the bench and Morgan didn’t make the matchday squad at all.

That was the same for player-assistant manager Nick Crittenden, but Sam Pashen and Jason Brookes were named among the replacements.

Unlike last Tuesday, when they were 3-0 down at the break, the Magpies didn’t concede at all in the opening 45 minutes at Redditch.

Although chances in front of goal were at a premium for both sides, the visitors probably did just enough to shade the first half.

The Reds went the closest to taking the lead in the first 20 minutes when they struck the Dorchester crossbar.

Oldring’s comeback after injury was a big boost for Jermyn and his troops, although the former didn’t do himself any favours by picking up a booking from Wolverhampton referee Thomas Harty.

The contest continued to be a fairly tight one up until the interval, though Dorchester went so close to breaking the deadlock.

Nathan Walker made his presence felt in the Redditch box and only a defender on the goalline prevented the Dorchester man’s header from going in.

Dorchester’s defending was a lot more solid than it had been in previous weeks and they remained solid at the start of the second half.

Again, neither keeper had too much to do, though Jose Veiga in the Redditch goal was given a scare when Magpies skipper Jake Smeeton struck a 25-yard free-kick just past the post.

But as it looked like the visitors could make a push for the three points they were undone twice in about 10 minutes.

Not only was Shearer’s opener from the spot a body blow for the Magpies, it also resulted in them being reduced to 10 men.

Oldring, booked in the first half, received a second yellow card when he was penalised for the foul which led to the penalty.

Then, after Liam Sayers had replaced Charlie Davis, the Reds netted again, Carline heading in a corner to make it 2-0.

A late double change by the visitors saw Jermyn and Bradley Tarbuck make way for Brookes and Watson.

However, the two new men were powerless to stop a fourth successive league defeat for Dorchester, who now face another crucial fixture on Tuesday night when they host bottom club Paulton Rovers.

Redditch: Veiga, Haynes, Flanagan, Loveridge, Mutton, Richards, Baker, Osborne, Shearer, Molyneux, Carline. Subs: Young, McFee, Swan, Fearon, Moreton.

Magpies: Walker-Harris, Hanger, Smeeton, Jermyn (Watson), Oldring, Dillon, Davis (Sayers), Martin, Ayunga, Walker, Tarbuck (Brookes). Subs not used: Murphy, Pashen.

Bookings: Redditch – None

Magpies – Oldring (twice)

Sent off: Magpies - Oldring

Referee: Thomas Harty (Wolverhampton)

Attendance: 280