DORCHESTER SPORTS RES 2

STALBRIDGE 5

DORCHESTER Sports Reserves were left cursing their luck as Stalbridge took a thrilling 5-2 victory at Weymouth College.

Stalbridge, fresh from their 2-1 shock win over Westland Sports in the Dorset Senior Trophy, started very well and dominated the opening 20 minutes with lots of direct forward balls that Sports struggled to deal with.

Their play brought a deserved lead on 20 minutes as a Lewis Amor clearance ricocheted off a Stalbridge player setting up Neil Kellaway, whose shot was saved by stand-in keeper Lewis Harrington only for the rebound to fall to Ryan Garrod, who bundled home from five yards.

Sports then started to move up through the gears finding a higher tempo to their play and were causing problems for the Stalbridge defence predominantly through Josh Leake on the left wing.

Sports’ Matt West had a goal ruled out for offside and, shortly after, Stalbridge doubled their lead and took a 2-0 advantage into the interval with another scrappy goal.

A trademark long ball and midfield runner caught Sports out, and Kellaway’s shot looked destined to roll in only for an attempted goal-line clearance from Josh Hickman to rebound off Garrod.

After the break, Sports enjoyed good spells of possession but could not break down the Stalbridge rearguard and subsequently conceded a third on 55 minutes when Kellaway pounced on a knockdown to extend the lead to 3-0.

Despite the score Sports kept on battling and hit back quickly with a stroke of luck of their own.

Hickman’s crossed free-kick eluded everybody and looped into the net to give the home side a lifeline.

Unfortunately it did not last long, on this occasion a tidy finish by Garrod from a Kieran Dunseith’s cross saw the striker notch his hat-trick.

Strong hold-up play from substitute Billy Bramble set up Leake’s stupendous lob to make it 4-2, taking his tally for the season to five, before the final goal of the game killed off Sports.

A long clearance sailed clear of the home defence and pacy Matt Jordan slotted home clinically for 5-2.

The drama did not end there as Jordan was sent off in the dying embers for an off-the-ball incident with Sports’ defender Ben Thomas.

Next up for Sports Reserves is a home league clash with Beaminster on Saturday at Weymouth College.

Sports: Harrington, Lamb, Hickman, Amor, B Thomas, Wash, Churchill, J Quinton, Moore, Leake, M West. Subs: Morgan, Bramble, Trent

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