Sydenhams Wessex League

Brockenhurst 0 Winchester City 3

As the season edges to its close, Winchester produced their best performance for several weeks, sweeping aside Brockenhurst as they guaranteed themselves at least the runners up spot in the Wessex League for this season. With such a superior goal difference City should require the minimum four points to be crowned champions from their remaining four games.

An entertaining tussle ensued between the champions elect and a side that may only be saved from relegation by the demise of other clubs in the league. It took City eleven minutes to open the scoring. A fortuitous knee on the ball from Jamie Musselwhite fell nicely for Richard Mealey to run on behind the defender and flick the ball beyond former City goalkeeper Oliver Rastall for the opening goal of the evening.

With both sides trying to play neat football, the game really was never allowed to flow so scoring opportunities were rare. A swerving free kick from Brocks Joe Bye looked a bit closer than City goalkeeper David Hook seem to give credit for midway through the opening half. On twenty-six minutes with Shaun Dyke returning to the side he sent in a cross into the area from which Musselwhite headed just wide.

Musselwhite was just off target again on thirty-two minutes after the Brockenhurst defence could not deal with another Dyke delivery into the area. City added to their score five minutes before the interval. Liam Greens corner was headed goal wards by Mark Jones, allowing Mat Jones to rise at the far post and confirm the second goal of the evening. Three minutes later and Greens free kick brought a flying save from Rastall.

Brockenhurst started their second period in a more determined mood. Having lost skipper and former City defender David King to an ankle injury on the stroke of half time, the home side swept forward for the start of the second half. Within thirty seconds former City trialist Reza Soutoudeh was denied by Hook. Six minutes into the half Soutoudeh was denied again by Hook following a Bye free kick. Within a minute Bye was in action at the opposite end of the pitch clearing a Musselwhite shot off the line with Rastall beaten.

City had a spell of sustained pressure. Christer Warren broke through the Brock defence and brought another good stop from Rastall. Lloyd Webber sent a dipping half volley just over the bar. With sixty-seven minutes played Mealey so nearly added his second goal of the evening. A Soutoudeh pass in the middle of the park went astray and a quick ball into Mealey allowed him to slip the ball under Rastall but agonisingly inches the wrong side of the post.

As the game entered its final stages another Green free kick saw a header from Mark Jones that brought an excellent stop from Rastall. In the first minute of stoppage time Rastall could do nothing about City’s third goal. Matthew Bicknell’s pass from out of defence into the path of Musselwhite saw him nonchalantly loft the ball over Rastall and claim his thirty seventh goal of the season.

Brockenhurst : Rastall, Clarke, King (Krauss 45), Johnson, Hillyer, T Smith, C Smith, Harris, Soutoudeh, Heath, Bye Unused subs Beck, Molloy, Lewis, Monk

Winchester : Hook, Mat Jones, Bicknell, Mark Jones, Lang, Webber (Wakefield 75), Dyke, Warren (P Smith 85), Mealey, Musselwhite, Green Unused subs Mancey, Davies and Chapman