Magpies: Dorchester hit six against county town under-23s

Own goal 1, Own goal 3, Bath 22, 70, Blair 30, Trialist 54

DORCHESTER TOWN U23s 0

DORCHESTER Town's first team beat the Magpies’ under-23 side 6-0 in a gentle pre-season friendly at the Avenue Stadium.

Fans returned to Dorchester’s home ground for the first time since lockdown and watched on as the youngsters stuck to their task well after a shaky start.

Nerves were clearly jangling for the under-23s early on as the Magpies’ future stars conceded two unfortunate own goals.

Barely 30 seconds into the game, Tom Blair raided down the right flank and a low cross was turned into his own net by the under-23s’ number three.

Two minutes later, the under-23s’ number two rolled a simple ball to the keeper who let the ball zip underneath his boot and into the empty net for 2-0.

Misfortune aside, the young guns soon improved as their number two blocked a goalbound Blair strike before the keeper saved a tame Tom Bath header.

Blair was causing problems on the left and might have done better when curling over the far angle from 15 yards.

In the 18th minute, the under-23s had their first shot as Billy Lowes deflected the number 10’s effort for a corner which came to nothing.

Bath was thwarted by an excellent low stop by the under-23’s keeper before Blair sent a header just wide from Oakley Hanger’s recycled cross.

A goal of genuine quality unlocked the under-23s’ defence as slick one-touch passing unleashed Harry Hodges on the right to ping a low cross for Bath to tap in.

Shortly after firing a rising drive over, Blair nipped in to steal possession and drive forward before rifling home a sweet left-footed strike from 18 yards for 4-0.

Blair missed a sitter just before the break but the Magpies made it 5-0 nine minutes after the resumption as sub Tiago Sa ran 50 yards to supply the trialist winger, who drilled a low shot past the under-23s’ keeper.

The under-23s went desperately close to a goal when a looping cross, misbehaving in the gusty wind, fooled the trialist keeper only to clatter the bar.

Bayston and Blair both missed good chances but the latter turned supplier after a minor scuffle with the under-23s’ number 15, clipping in a peachy cross for Bath to nod his second.

Hanger darted inside and skimmed the near-post side netting in search of a seventh which would ultimately have been harsh on the hard-working under-23s, who were always full of running.

Magpies: Trialist, Hanger, Hodges, Trialist (Dunstan 53), Poole, Trialist, Lowes (Griggs 53), Clarke, Blair (Lowes 84), Bayston, Bath

U23s: No. 1, No. 2 (No. 4 42), No. 3 (No. 15 46), No. 5 (No. 4 75), No. 6 (No. 14 46), No. 7 (No. 17 55), No. 8, No. 9, No. 10, No. 11, No. 12 (No. 16 46)