Magpies are lost in Wood

THE Magpies slumped to their fifth home defeat thanks to David Bryant’s 36th minute looping header.

Dorchester started the brighter of the two sides but spirits dipped once they fell behind and despite the second-half introduction of fit again Nick Crittenden, Steve Devlin and Chris Flood, the county town side were unable to stage a fightback.

Magpies’ boss Ashley Vickers was disappointed by the nature of the goal conceded but determined to put matters right when his side visit West Leigh Park to play Havant & Waterlooville tomorrow night.

He said: “We can’t give away soft goals. I brought on Critts at half-time but we didn’t play to our strengths.

“It’s about carrying out instructions to the letter but when you don’t do that problems appear.

“The players worked hard but too many of our lads were off their form and we lost it in the middle a little bit.

“I sense a little bit of fear – sometimes you’re trying hard not to make a mistake but the ball becomes like a hot potato.

“I want them all to enjoy their football but they will only do that if they put into practice what we work on.

“But we can’t alter what happened on Saturday and the players will all analyse their mistakes. There will be changes tomorrow but not for change sake.”

Boreham Wood were first off the mark but home keeper Alan Walker-Harris comfortably held on to a low 25-yard effort from Mark Jones.

Indeed a long punt from the Dorchester gloveman nearly set up a breakthrough but opposite number Elvijs Putnins cut out the danger.

Dorchester went closer still in the sixth minute when Ryan Moss crossed for Harrison Bell to head against the crossbar from 12 yards.

The rebound fell to Jamie Gleeson whose first-time strike flashed wide.

At the other end, Sam Lechmere drilled a 30-yard free-kick into the Dorchester wall before a shot on the turn by home debutant Adam Mekki rolled wide of the near post.

A 14th minute corner from Lech-mere was played back to him by Bryant and from the resultant cross, centre-half Charlie 0’Loughlin sent a firm header over.

Mekki went close to firing Dorchester in front but his angled 25- yard drive flew just wide.

Mekki was then needlessly pushed to the ground by Bryant who picked up the first of the game’s six cautions for his action.

O’Loughlin glanced wide from a Lechmere corner but it was the next corner kick which proved decisive as Lechmere’s delivery was nodded on by the former to Bryant whose looping far post header beat Walker-Harris and Jake Smeeton on the goal-line.

The Magpies tried to hit back immediately and Moss headed wide at the far post from Kyle Critchell’s free-kick.

Lewis Tallack intercepted a Lech-mere corner and sent a long pass for Mekki to chase but his run was crudely ended by a ferocious challenge from Jones who became the second man in referee Andy Bennett's notebook.

Neil Martin soon followed for a challenge on Jones but in first half stoppage time, Boreham had penalty appeals waved aside when the livewire Lechmere went down under the challenge of Smeeton.

Vickers introduced Crittenden for Bell at the start of the second half and he was soon joined by Devlin who replaced Ryan Dovell after the former Bridport utility player was cautioned in the 50th minute for a foul on Jones.

From a Crittenden corner, Walker headed wide from six yards then Martin set Mekki away but his cross was well read by Putnins with the unmarked Crittenden waiting to capitalise.

A Devlin free-kick was then punched clear by Putnins before a rasping shot from David Hut-ton brought a superb reaction tip-over save from Walker-Harris at the other end.

Another cross from Crittenden was again met by Walker with the same result – a glanced header wide while Lechmere burst through on the Dorchester goal only to fire high and wide.

Osei Sankofa became the third Boreham player to be cautioned for time-wasting before Dorchester’s best chance of salvaging a point came in injury-time.

Moss, who had just seen a looping header saved by Putnins, threw himself at a cross from Flood and his flying header just cleared the crossbar.

A robust challenge by Devlin earned him a yellow card in the fifth minute of stoppage time as the visitors held on to clinch a narrow victory at the Avenue Stadium.

Magpies’ Man of the Match: Lewis Tallack Magpies: Walker-Harris, Tallack, Smee-ton, Dovell (Devlin 52),Walker, Critchell, Bell (Crittenden 46), Gleeson, Moss, Mekki, Martin (Flood 67). Subs not used: Bowles, Symes Boreham Wood: Putnins, Sankofa (Hunter 80), Jones, Cox, O’Loughlin, Wilk-inson, Lechmere, Isaac, Thalassistis (Ruddock 48), Bryant, Hutton. Subs not used: Akinola, Martin, Baker-Owers