Dickenson salvages a point for Magpies (From Dorset Echo)

Dickenson salvages a point for Magpies

8:48am Wednesday 7th December 2011 in Match Reports By Adam Summers

Dorchester TOWN 3

Wilson 2, 43, Dickenson 87

FARNBOROUGH 3

Bennett 8, Connolly 28, 83

TEENAGE sensation Ben Dickenson salvaged the Magpies a point at the Avenue Stadium last night.

Suspect defending littered Dorchester’s display throughout but thanks to a wonderful strike from their boy wonder in the closing stages they stretched their unbeaten record in Blue Square Bet South to seven games.

Despite seeing his options boosted by the returns of Ryan Dovell, Nick Crittenden, Ashley Nicholls and Ryan Moss, who was making his last appearance for the club before relocating to London, new boss Alan Knight kept faith with the same starting XI that began Saturday’s victory at Maidenhead United.

The aforementioned quartet all had to settle for places on the bench while Farnborough included three familiar faces in their ranks in ex-Magpies Doug Bergqvist and Reece Connolly, and former Weymouth winger Daniel Bennett.

The crowd hardly had chance to draw breath before the first goal flew in and it went to the home side on two minutes.

Dickenson was afforded too much space down the left and when he picked out Rico Wilson in the box, he nonchalantly volleyed the ball home into the top-right corner of the net from 10 yards.

The visitors looked bamboozled already and a few moments later Wilson nearly grabbed a second but this time his close-range header from Steve Devlin’s corner flew over the crossbar.

It appeared Dorchester had made the perfect start but a lapse in concentration on eight minutes gifted the visitors an equaliser.

Phillip Page sent over a deep cross from the left and when Jake Smeeton got caught under the ball at the far post it gave Bennett an age to take the ball down and let fly with a low drive past a baffled Alan Walker-Harris.

Now it was the away side that looked full of confidence and on 15 minutes they nearly took the lead when Marcus Moody’s header from Bennett’s free-kick was thwarted by a point-blank save.

Town responded with a period of pressure at the other end but on 28 minutes a slip by Smeeton allowed Bennett too much space down the right.

This time the winger got to the by-line and picked out Connolly who found the target with a stooping header from eight yards.

It was another soft goal to concede and more hesitancy very nearly resulted in a third shortly after when Connolly sent a 20-yard effort inches past a post.

Farnborough were having a field day every time they ventured forward and after Connolly was denied by a fine double save, Page tried his luck with a curler from 25 yards that dropped just over the right-hand upright.

The Magpies desperately needed a lift and it finally arrived in the form of a leveller on 43 minutes.

This time hesitant defending by the visitors enabled Dickenson to get a strike away and when his effort rebounded back off the underside of the crossbar there was Wilson to turn the ball in from 12 yards.

The open nature of the first half was replaced by a much cagier affair in the second.

Devlin pulled a shot wide before Wilson almost grabbed his third on 63 minutes with a header from a corner, which just clipped the top of the crossbar.

The young forward was then surprisingly replaced by Moss and instantly showed his disappointment with a shake of the head but the Magpies carried on regardless with Critchell heading over on 75 minutes.

A piece of trickery on the touchline then saw Dickenson break into the box from the left but his driven cross eluded both Moss and Crittenden to the relief of the visiting defence.

Farnborough had offered very little since half-time but with seven minutes remaining a quick throw-in saw Connolly ghost past Walker and stun the Magpies with a fine finish from an acute angle.

It was a goal out of nowhere but the lead lasted just four minutes as Dickenson replied with a sweet curler from the right-hand side of the box to ensure Knight’s first home game in charge ended on a high.

Magpies: Walker-Harris, Critchell, Smeeton, Jermyn, Walker, Gleeson, Bell (Crittenden 60), Symes (Nicholls 84), Wilson (Moss 69), Dickenson, Devlin. Subs not used: Martin, Dovell.

Farnborough: Lovelock, Smith (Ferguson 46), Treacher, Appiah (Cobb 76), Holland, Doug Bergqvist, Bennett, Webb, Page, Moody, Connolly. Subs not used: Merriman, Murphy, Takarczyk.