DORCHESTER STRIPES 1

Trialist

DORCHESTER YELLOWS 3

Gwengwe (2), Doyle

DORCHESTER Yellows beat Dorchester Stripes 3-1 in the Magpies’ first taste of pre-season action this summer.

With Glenn Howes’ squad forced into an in-house friendly due to Bideford cancelling, this was still a useful 60-minute exercise.

Dorchester Yellows began with the greater fluency and whistled a shot just wide from 25 yards, courtesy of one of the ten triallists on show.

Responding to that early chance, the Stripes nearly took the lead in the 17th minute when Ollie Griggs strode forward uncontested and curled a shot against the outside of the near post from 25 yards.

With the Stripes looking dangerous, Ben Symes was next to try his luck with a flicked header that flashed across the face of goal.

Yellows did present a danger on the counter attack and it was new signing Shaq Gwengwe who opened the scoring in the 28th minute.

George Calverley got to the byline on the left wing and crossed low for the unmarked forward, who tucked home a finish from 12 yards when unmarked.

After the first half of 30 minutes, Yellows continued to dominate and doubled their lead with a clinical counter.

After a Stripes trialist gave possession away with a short corner, the Yellows interceptor – himself a trialist – pinged a raking ball over the top for Gwengwe.

The forward still had plenty to do, touching over the covering defender and lashing a vicious volley home.

And young prospect Brin Doyle got in on the act, showing composure to round the trialist keeper and score after good work from Gwengwe on the right.

Stripes could only respond through two Marcus Smith shots and an Alfie Stanley effort, all guided wide from distance.

Neat interplay in the Yellows’ box gave Olly Balmer a huge chance, only for the striker to clatter the bar from six yards.

Balmer later aimed a low curler at sub keeper Brad Snelling but the Stripes gained a consolation in the 55th minute when their trialist attacking midfielder bent a stunning shot into the far corner.

However, there was late concern for defender Adam Heaton, who suffered a nasty-looking injury in a block tackle.

Stripes: Trialist, Bertrand, Baxter, Trialist, Callow, Sa, Griggs, Lilley, Balmer, Stanley, Symes.

Yellows: Trialist, Heaton, Trialist, Emmerson, Buckley, Calverley, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Gwengwe.

Subs: Snelling, Doyle, M Smith, Trialist, Trialist