DORCHESTER TOWN 3

Bayston 29, Blair 42 pen, 44

WINCHESTER CITY 0

DORCHESTER earned their first win of pre-season with a simple 3-0 victory over Winchester City at the Avenue Stadium.

Playing behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic, Dorchester began strongly as striker Emile Ngoy won a corner on the right after threatening to ghost around the City defence.

Tiago Sa swung in his delivery and Charlie Madden was unlucky to see his header crash off the bar in the fourth minute.

Barely 60 seconds had elapsed before Dorchester had another clear sight of goal, this time Tom Blair volleying at City goalkeeper Charlie Philpott when it seemed easier to score.

Winchester settled after those early scares and duly created a trio of chances.

Simba Mlambo speared an effort over after a lovely through ball by Jamie Barron before Jon Ross athletically tipped over Ethan Maddocks’ dipping shot.

City were denied for a third time when Ross smothered Olly Balmer’s free-kick in the 24th minute.

Having ridden out their own shaky spell, Dorchester took the lead five minutes later.

Neat build-up play saw Emile Ngoy lay off to Tom Blair in the left channel, the winger then picking out Sam Bayston who controlled and fired past Philpott into the bottom-right corner.

Dorchester were beginning to click and saw former Citizen midfielder Ollie Griggs and Bayston denied before City’s Josh Davies nodded a Barron free-kick at Ross.

However, Dorchester stretched their lead with two goals in three minutes before half-time.

Blair was upended by a clumsy challenge from Maddocks in the area, the winger stepping up to clinically blast past Philpott, who dived the wrong way.

Ngoy then slipped past his man on the byline and tucked a pass back for Blair who side-footed home on the stretch through a defender on the line.

After making nine subs at half-time, Dorchester took time to grow into the second half but went close as a Billy Lowes free-kick skimmed off the heads of a trialist and Jordan Rogers.

City made two batches of five subs, hampering their fluidity in the game, but Barron did scoot to the edge of the area and work Ross with a curling low effort.

Two Dorchester trialists then combined and a flicked effort looked destined to nestle in the corner but for City sub keeper Ryan Pryce to claw the shot away.

The Magpies’ right-sided trialist impressed greatly, causing City great trouble, and his latest searing run and cross picked out Tom Bath who prodded across goal on the stretch, City clearing.

No serious chances followed as the match petered out, Dorchester making a winning start to their pre-season campaign.

Magpies: Ross, Hodges (Hanger 46), Dunstan (Poole 46), Trialist (Trialist 46), Sa, Trialist (Clarke 46), Madden (Lowes 46), Griggs (Trialist 46), Blair (Trialist 46), Bayston (Rogers 46), Ngoy (Bath 46).

City: Philpott (Pryce 58), Hayward (sub 70), King, Maddocks (sub 58), Davies (sub 70), Douglas (sub 70), Wilson (sub 58), Barron (sub 70), Balmer (sub 58), Mlambo (sub 58), McCormick (sub 58).