Sydenhams Wessex League

Wimborne Town 0 Winchester City 1

The performances are not overly appealing at present, but the facts are that manager Steve Tate has still not lost a Wessex League fixture, the side having gone twenty league games without a defeat, their last league defeat being back last October at home to A F C Newbury. Add to that this was the fifth successive game that City have kept a clean sheet.

Lloyd Webber was ruled out with flu and there was a return to the squad for Christer Warren, Matt Bicknell returning to the side that had drawn with A F C Totton in midweek with Pete Smith moving forward to his left sided midfield role.

The game was spoiled by a swirling wind that still had its winter’s edge and some refereeing that did not allow the game to flow. The home side themselves were without some major players including usual goalkeeper and captain Stewart Kearns.

City had an early chance to open the scoring in the tenth minute, Liam Greens corner was met by Mark Jones and the City skipper should have done better with his header. Wimborne had a chance to net the opening goal soon after by former City striker Stuart Cannie screwed his shot wide of the target.

As the game appeared to be easing into its stride City did score what proved to be the only goal of the game. Twenty minutes had been played when Greens whipped free kick from the right wing was met by the head of Jamie Musselwhite to net his thirty third goal of the season.

City looked as though they might only have held the lead for two minutes. Marcus Oldbury floated a free kick behind the City defence for Sam Percival to head beyond the diving David Hook and into the net only to be confronted by an assistants flag with an offside decision. It was not to be Percivals afternoon having to limp away from the action with three minutes of the first half remaining for the home side to be without their influential defender.

Ola Bromseth had a long range effort just off target whilst on the half hour Ian Mancey headed a Shaun Dyke cross wide of the target. As the first half was entering the final minutes Greens free kick was heading for the top left hand of Adam Nash’s goal, but Nash clawed the effort away for a corner. Danny Wakefield produced a long-range effort that fell tamely for Nash to collect.

Wimborne started the second half the better. Cannie took too long in front of goal in the opening minutes allowing City the chance to clear.

The second period though was a scrappy affair. The home side had the better chances with City failing to test Wimborne goalkeeper Nash. Cannie shot across the face of the City goal on the hour whilst Bicknell’s long-range effort was all City had to show until the final minute.

A thirty yard drive from defender Mark Kenway was just creeping under the bar when Hook managed to push the effort away quickly followed by a diving save to stop a low drive from Scott Arnold.

As the game entered stoppage time Musselwhite headed a Bicknell cross wide of the target and with the final chance of the afternoon Bromseth shot again from thirty yards was pushed away by Hook, one day short of his thirty sixth birthday.

Wimborne : Nash, Kenway, Percival (Cousins 42), Crutcher, Ekerhagen (Walker 72), Griffiths, Oldbury, Arnold, Clements, Cannie (Blackburn), Bromseth

Winchester : Hook, Buckman, Bicknell, Mark Jones, Davies, Smith, Dyke (Warren 72), Wakefield, Mancey (Mealey 87), Musselwhite, Green Unused subs Mat Jones, Vavrecka and Chapman