Magpies miss out

IF Dorchester Town finish the season in the relegation zone, they will probably look back in anguish at the two points lost at St George’s Lane.

The Magpies dominated the entire first half and the latter stages of the second, creating 16 goal attempts in total – twice the number carved out by their hosts.

But Dorchester’s failure in front of goal, which has been a concern for most of the season, was again in evidence for the 493 spectators in City’s lowest league gate of the current campaign to witness. However, the Magpies will take some comfort from their impressive first half performance and overall work rate plus the fact that they ended the afternoon in no worse a position after Thurrock’s home match with St Albans City also ended in a stalemate.

It was City’s lively frontrunner, Marco Adaggio who produced the first goal attempt of the afternoon after he latched on to a long clearance from keeper Danny McDon-nell but his low shot was shepherded wide by Magpies’ keeper Gareth Stewart.

Dorchester went close at the other end when Nick Crittenden and Mitchell Nicholson combined to set up a chance for Gary Bowles who moved up from defence to test McDonnell with a powerful 25-yard strike which the home stopper parried away from goal.

The Magpies looked a cohesive outfit in the first half and were rarely troubled by City.

Crittenden and Bowles set up a shooting chance for Nicholson but his effort lacked venom.

Mark Jermyn blocked a free-kick from Rob Davies in a rare City attack before Nicholson’s lay-off from a Jamie Gleeson pass was collected by Jacob Erskine who drilled a 20-yard effort just wide.

City central defender Oli Barnes was booked for a foul on Erskine in the 15th minute and the resultant Crittenden free-kick was punched over his crossbar by McDonnell.

But despite the Dorchester pressure, it was Worcester who came closest to taking the lead when Adaggio cut inside then wriggled away from Ashley Vickers and Kevin Hill before clipping the underside of the Dorchester crossbar from an acute angle.

But the Magpies were soon back on the attack and when Graham Ward collected the second booking of the match for a foul on Nicholson, the Crittenden free-kick that followed was met on the six-yard line by Vickers who should have done better than head wide.

Another Crittenden set-piece was met at the far post by Hill whose header was again tipped over by McDonnell.

Yet another Crittenden free-kick then sailed past a post while Tom Kemp’s wayward back pass nearly cost his side a goal but McDonnell just beat Erskine to the ball.

Gleeson intercepted another Kemp clearance to centre for Nicholson whose shot from six yards was aimed too close to a grateful McDonnell.

City’s share of the play improved after Matt Dodd came off the bench to replace the struggling Kemp and in the closing minutes of the first half, Adaggio hooked an eight-yard effort into Stewart’s arms.

It was clear that City were posing a greater threat than before the break but the Magpies’ defence held firm. Ward sent a low shot wide on 51 minutes while Stewart scooped up another low effort from Davies at his near post.

A cross from Jake Smeeton was laid off by Crittenden but Erskine was unable to force the ball past McDonnell at the far post.

Adaggio wasted a one-on-one chance after benefiting from a lucky deflection by firing wide from 16 yards then Smeeton blocked a strong Ward strike taking the sting out of the shot enabling Stewart to make a comfortable save.

The Magpies enjoyed more of the play in the latter stages and set up by the influential Crittenden, Erskine hoisted a shot on the turn over the bar.

McDonnell then saved with his legs to keep out an angled drive from Walsh while from the follow up Crittenden corner, Vickers looped a header over.

Jermyn again sent a shot wide whilst from a flurry of late Critten-den corners, Walsh sent a downward header bouncing past the far post and Vickers saw one header deflect wide and another clear the crossbar.

And between the late Dorchester chances, City could have sneaked all three points themselves when Dodd headed over from Gary Walker’s free-kick.

Worcester: McDonnell, Ward, Khan, Richardson, Barnes, Kemp (Dodd 42), Davies (Dinsmore 61), Bampton, Wilding, Adaggio, Price (Walker 80).

Subs not used: Fitzpatrick, Spencer.

Dorchester: Stewart, Bowles, Smeeton, Jermyn, Vickers, Hill, Crittenden, Gleeson, Erskine, Walsh, Nicholson. Subs not used: Watts, Mitchell, Reeve, Clarke, Coward.