Magpies: Dorchester Town picked off at Swindon Supermarine

Spalding 48, Fleetwood 82

DORCHESTER TOWN 0

DORCHESTER Town slipped to a rare away league defeat as Swindon Supermarine took a 2-0 victory from their Evo-Stik Southern Premier South encounter at the Webbswood Stadium.

After an uneventful first half, Henry Spalding curled the visitors in front on 48 minutes before Stuart Fleetwood sealed the win eight minutes from time.

Dorchester twice went close through Tom Blair but the hosts were seldom troubled by a poor Magpies attack.

The loss was Dorchester's first away from home in the league since December 22 and a 2-1 reversal at Met Police.
Dorchester made four changes to the team that began the 6-1 thrashing of Staines last time out.

Blair, Joe Low, Dom Panesar-Dower and Luke Winsper all missed out – Low through starting a three-match suspension.

In came Kyle Egan, Brennan Camp, Billy Lowes and new arrival Noah Keats, the midfielder signing a one-month loan from Truro City.

Egan returned from unavailability, while Camp came in after scoring on his Scotland Under-19s debut.

Panesar-Dower had no place in the matchday squad, while Lowes made his return to fitness from a thigh injury as Winsper was benched alongside Blair.

With just three points separating the sides at kick-off, Marine instantly went on the attack as former Weymouth forward Fleetwood tested Nick Hutchings with a low shot inside the first minute.

Corners seemed Dorchester's main method of troubling ex-Magpie Martin Horsell and a tricky delivery found its way to Camp who prodded at goal, only to inadvertently jump-start a Marine break.

Horsell collected Camp's weak effort at goal and released Fleetwood who sprinted upfield and shot low at Hutchings, the keeper alive to the danger and saving once more.

Horsell made a hash of punching clear a corner before touching clear at the second attempt and Lowes then volleyed at Horsell from a near post position from yet another set-play.

But chances were few and far between in a dozy first half, Spalding skying an effort from just outside the box well wide and over the target.

Dorchester, light on centre-backs with Low's suspension, received a mild scare when captain Neil Martin collided with forward Ryan Campbell late in the first half, but both players were able to continue ahead of the break.

Magpies' manager Steve Thompson switched Sam Jackson for Blair at half-time with the aim of making the first breakthrough, but it was Marine who went ahead less than three minutes after the resumption.

Leading scorer Conor McDonagh and Fleetwood were both involved to set up Spalding inside the box, and the midfielder showed great coolness to curl his measured effort past the despairing Hutchings.

Dorchester should have levelled from a big chance when Blair outstripped Connor Thompson on the left before sprinting into the box and curling wide of Horsell's far post on 53 minutes.

Five minutes later, Thompson was replaced by Dan Williamson with an injury before Spalding picked up a booking from referee Andrew Spalding for cheekily throwing the ball away in an apparent act of time-wasting.

Hutchings was on top form to deny Fleetwood, who latched onto Jamie Edge's pass and saw his chipped effort pawed over the bar by the Magpies' keeper - then expertly claimed Spalding's corner.

Thompson again made an attacking substitution in bringing on Richard Gillespie for centre-back Camp, while McDonagh and Martin were booked for a coming together.

However, with eight minutes remaining Supermarine sewed the three points up when Fleetwood clinically made space in the area and fired past Hutchings.

As Dorchester came forward in search of a route back into the game, they left themselves open to attacks as Hutchings saved a Spalding curler before denying sub Josh Parsons with a brave save, spreading himself to keep the shot out.

Blair did fire at Horsell in the 93rd minute but Dorchester rarely looked threatening in front of goal and watched their opponents climb six points above them in the table.

The Magpies also dropped a position to 16th after 10-man Gosport, Saturday's opponents, won 4-0 at Hendon.

Swindon Supermarine: Horsell, Co Thompson (Williamson 58), Hopkins, Edge, Liddiard, M Williams, Spalding, Hooper (Bampton 78), Fleetwood, McDonagh (Parsons 84), Campbell. Subs not used: Coupe, Selman

Magpies: Hutchings, Egan, Martin, Carmichael, Camp (Rodriguez 72), Kite (Gillespie 78), Keats, Lowes, Seymour, Diaz, Jackson (Blair 46). Subs not used: Winsper, Latham

Referee: Andrew Sheppard (Gloucester)

Attendance: 301

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