Cup coast as Bassett beaten by Magpies

Dorchester Town breezed into the third qualifying round of the FA Cup with a comfortable victory against lower-league Wootton Bassett Town.

Bassett, of Hellenic League Division One West, arrived in Dorset with dreams of extending their greatest-ever run in the most famous of domestic cup competitions.

But the Magpies, who ply their trade four tiers higher in Blue Square Bet South, were in a merciless mood and forged a three-goal lead at the break courtesy of Ben Watson, Jamie Reid and Nathan Walker.

The second half was somewhat of a procession before Reid completed the scoring at the Greene King IPA Community Stadium to notch his fifth goal for the county town outfit, who now await today’s draw.

Summing up, manager Phil Simkin said: “Job done. I thought 4-0 was a fair reflection of the play and I thought we passed the ball very well.

“Fair play to Wootton though. They stuck at it and on the whole I thought they did their manager and their club proud.

“I felt we moved the ball well and we could have had more goals, but we’re through to the next round and that’s the most important thing.

“Once we scored they had to come out a bit because prior to that they just sat back and sat back.

“We had a little bit of a fright just after we scored, with their best chance of the game, and it proved a bit of a warning to us.

“I just hope people realise that the second half was meant to be a professional performance – no goals conceded and securing our place in the next round.

“It doesn’t matter how many goals you score, I didn’t want to try and humiliate Wootton.

“It was a thoroughly professional job with which I was very pleased.”

The Magpies made two changes for the visit of Bassett with Lewis Morgan and Sam Malsom coming in for rested duo Nick Crittenden and Jake Gosling.

New recruits Jon Garcia and Arran Pugh were named among the substitutes and they were joined on the bench by fit-again midfielder Jamie Symes.

Given their inferior league status, Wootton were no doubt keen to keep things tight in the early exchanges and contain their hosts for as long as possible.

However, those plans were almost thrown out the window with just 45 seconds on the clock as Malsom cut in from the left and fired an 18-yard drive narrowly over the top of James Domm’s crossbar.

Reid repeated the trick from the other flank but this time the effort was on target and parried by Domm before being hacked to safety by the Wootton defenders.

The match was beginning to form a predictable pattern and with 12 minutes gone the higher-ranked Mag-pies were in front.

Watson peeled off the shoulder of the last defender, skipper Mark Jermyn spotted the run and delivered an excellent through pass for his team-mate.

With only Domm to beat, the county town striker prodded past the onrushing keeper to net his second of the season.

Unsurprisingly, Dorchester dominated the opening quarter of an hour both in terms of possession and territory. But they were afforded a let-off when Lee Bowen, having beaten the offside trap, flashed a shot inches wide of the far post.

Normal service resumed and the lead was doubled midway through the half in spectacular fashion.

Leading marksmen Reid gathered the ball some 20 yards out and had time to turn before finding the top-left corner with a superb strike.

Watson was then denied by Domm and Charlie Clough headed wide seconds later as the home side searched for more goals.

And they didn’t have to wait long for a third – 13 minutes to be precise.

Another effort from Reid was blocked for a corner, Neil Martin delivered an in-swinger which Domm misjudged and Walker was on hand to nod into an empty net.

That goal sparked a frantic two-minute spell in which Domm made amends for his mishap by expertly thwarting both Martin and Malsom.

The Bassett gloveman was helpless two minutes before the break but the woodwork came to his rescue as Watson was foiled by the right-hand upright.

Reid went close to adding a fourth as the first half drew to a close, with Dorchester registering no fewer than 16 attempts at the Wootton goal.

With the outcome a foregone conclusion, the second half had the feel of a pre-season friendly, especially when referee Tim Wood took a more than lenient view to Domm handling the ball outside his area.

Garcia was handed his home debut in the Magpies’ first change of the afternoon before Pugh entered the fray for his county town bow with 17 minutes remaining.

The two subs almost combined for goal number four but Pugh’s cross from the right was volleyed over the top by the diminutive Spaniard.

Reid also cleared the crossbar two minutes later after Domm flapped at Jamie Gleeson’s fairly routine shot.

And the same man was guilty of another glaring miss soon after, this time firing wide with just the keeper to beat after being teed up by Morgan.

But the Exeter City loanee finally found his range in stoppage-time with a sweet strike from the edge of the Bassett box.

Magpies: Matthews, Jermyn (Pugh 73), Martin, Clough, Walker, Gleeson, Morgan, Nicholls, Watson, Reid, Malsom (Garcia 64). Subs not used: Gosling, Symes, Bell, Ward, Tewksbury.

Bassett: Domm, Corcoran, Bowden, Turner (Brien 82), Carter, Edmondson, Morse, Yeardley, Bowen (Daynton 75), Bown, Delaney (Ellis 69).