YATE TOWN 0

DORCHESTER TOWN 0

DORCHESTER Town claimed a point at Yate Town as the sides contested a stalemate in their Pitching In Southern League Premier South clash.

Olaf Koszela and Charlie Gunson had Dorchester’s best efforts as the Magpies rode out late Yate pressure, Brandon Smalley unlucky to see his effort hit the bar and bounce to safety via the goalline.

Dorchester have now collected 13 points from six games, reaching that tally quicker than in 2015/16 when it took the Magpies seven matches.

Glenn Howes’ men are now unbeaten in four games and have kept a clean sheet on their last two away trips, signalling just how much they have improved since last season.

READ MORE: Yate Town 0-0 Dorchester Town - how it happened

Going into a second game in 48 hours, Howes had designs on a potential fifth win from six and made three changes to the side that began Saturday’s 4-2 victory over Hartley Wintney.

Louie Slough, Shaq Gwengwe and Alex Moyse all came in at the expense of the benched Alfie Stanley, Olly Balmer and Harvey-Joe Bertrand.

Tiago Sa and Gunson completed Dorchester's options off the bench while Yate could only name four subs in their dugout.

Dorchester’s defence was tested in the opening ten minutes as Keith Emmerson halted Alex Lambert’s promising run before the Magpies cleared a dangerous free-kick.

Koszela saw his path to goal blocked in Dorchester’s first attack of note, but the Magpies suffered a blow 15 minutes in when star midfielder Jordan Ngalo went off injured, replaced by Gunson.

The sides traded attempts when Smalley fired wide after good work from ex-Magpie Olly Mehew before another former Dorchester player, keeper Martin Horsell, saved from a free-kick.

There were scarce openings thereafter in a cat and mouse first half, while Dorchester had to make a second enforced change at half-time when Gwengwe came off for Stanley.

Dorchester began the second period with more purpose as Gunson blasted a free-kick over and then guided an effort wide on 55 minutes.

Dorchester conjured two half-chances for Koszela midway through the half as the striker drilled wide after supply from Moyse, before Slough’s cross fizzed just out of the Pole’s reach.

Cries for a Dorchester penalty were also waved away in the 66th minute, as the Magpies protested that Moyse’s cross had struck the hand of Dennis Digie.

Callum Buckley headed over in Dorchester’s latest chance but Yate then mounted a concerted spell of pressure in the final portion of the match.

The Magpies were forced into a huge rearguard effort to keep the Bluebells at bay on 76 minutes as a flurry of chances were repelled.

Jordi Foot made an important block, Harry Lee saved a second effort and Buckley cleared off the line in a frantic handful of seconds before Kieran Douglas hammered the ball away.

And Yate nearly won it on 84 minutes when Smalley’s rasping effort beat Lee only to clatter the bar, bounce down onto the goalline and away to safety.

In four added minutes, Yate piled the pressure on and Lee had to make a superb diving intervention to make sure of the draw as Dorchester’s excellent start to the campaign continued.

Yate: Horsell, Ibrahim, Soadie, Digie, Raison, Mitchell, Smalley, Lambert (Drew 61), Henry, Tumelty, Mehew. Subs not used: Evans, Allen, Fleetwood.

Magpies: Lee, Foot, Slough, Emmerson (Bertrand 79), Buckley, Douglas, Neale, Ngalo (Gunson 15), Gwengwe (Stanley 46), Koszela, Moyse. Subs not used: Balmer, Sa.

Referee: Phil Eddie

Attendance: 315