DORCHESTER TOWN 1 ST NEOTS TOWN 1

DORCHESTER Town ensured they will be playing their football in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division next season as they fought out a 1-1 draw with promotion-pushing St Neots Town.

The result also meant the Saints salvaged the point they needed from a hard-fought encounter at the Avenue to climb into the play-off places and deny the Magpies victory.

The home side, buoyed by their win over Poole Town on Easter Monday, gave starts to Lewis Horsburgh and Ryan Murray as Jamie Gleeson dropped to the bench and Mark Irvine was ruled out through injury.

Manager Mark Jermyn was also named among the substitutes.

There never looked to be any real prospect of a repeat of the 11-goal thriller served up by the two sides in December but there was a high tempo to the early play.

Indeed if Nathan Walker had connected fully with the ball in front of the Saints’ goal, the Magpies may have been celebrating a third-minute opener.

But that chance was missed and immediately play swung to the other end where Lewis Hilliard produced a firm drive which Alan Walker-Harris did well to tip on to a post.

Then from a Hilliard centre, Matt Spring had a shot blocked by Chris Dillon.

The ball ran loose to Brett Longden whose low shot was pushed round the post by the diving Dorchester keeper.

At the other end, Bradley Tarbuck’s cross was met by Nick Crittenden who headed wide at the far post and veteran stopper Paul Bastock was well placed to cut out a header from Lewis Horsburgh.

Walker-Harris then scooped up a low effort from Nathan Frater while Brett Longden headed over at the far post from a Hillard centre.

The first half petered out with no further threat to either goal but two minutes after the break, Nathan Frater produced a curled effort from the edge of the penalty area which Walker-Harris read well. There was then an awkward moment for Walker-Harris when Hilliard’s shot bobbled in front of goal and bounced off the Dorchester gloveman who did just enough to divert Lee Clarke’s follow up effort over the bar.

Concerted pressure from St Neots produced a succession of corners the last of which was met by Ryan Frater who headed over from six yards.

Hilliard then fired over from 20 yards before Walker-Harris saved with his legs to deny Nathan Frater after a strong surging run.

Frater got to the loose ball but could only pull his shot across the face of goal and wide.

But despite the Saints’ pressure, it was Dorchester who took the lead seven minutes after the introduction of substitutes Mark Jermyn and Dan Smith who replaced Horsburgh and Crittenden.

And it was Smith who was to score the opening goal latching on to a long pass from his own penalty area by Bradley Tarbuck, which eluded Saints’ skipper Adam Tann, to drive a low shot past Bastock.

Dorchester would have expected a reaction from the promotion hopefuls and within five minutes the woodwork had saved the Magpies.

A free-kick was delivered by Spring and Tann produced a header which crashed back off the far post to Tom Ward who somehow managed to blast his shot high over the bar from close range.

But the equaliser was not far away and from Jack Wilkinson’s right-wing corner, Ward rose at the far post to head goalward and the ball deflected in off Magpies’ defender Ryan Murray.

Tarbuck and Lewis Morgan both sent efforts over while veteran Bastock won the race to the ball to produce a timely tackle which prevented Sam Lanahan taking advantage of a promising situation on the right touchline.

St Neots could not find a way through a determined Dorchester rearguard for a second time with Spring’s blocked free-kick and Clarke’s shot across the face of goal being the closest calls in the closing minutes.

The Magpies will now head to the Bob Lucas Stadium on Tuesday night for their Dorset Senior Cup final showdown with Weymouth.

Magpies: Walker-Harris, Murray, Smeeton, Morgan, Walker, Dillon, Crittenden (Jermyn 57), Lanahan, Watson, Horsburgh (Smith 57), Tarbuck. Subs not used: Brookes, Old, Gleeson

St Neots: Bastock, Tann (Harty 77), Wilkinson, Mitchell-King, Ryan Frater, Ward, Longden, Spring, Clarke, Nathan Frater (Viera 87), Hilliard (Hobbs 68). Subs not used: Bickerstaff, Ferrari

Bookings: Magpies — Smeeton (90+5, foul), Morgan (81, off the ball incident), St Neots – Ward (81, off the ball incident), Nathan Frater (84, dissent)

Referee: Andrew Bennett (Hatherleigh)

Attendance: 383