The Magpies retained their top spot with a 3-0 win against a competent Lymington side thanks to goals by Gareth Barnes, Kev James and, opening his account for the club, Lee Chudy.
Scott Joyce returned from illness in place of Tom Clarke, who was unavailable, partnering Gareth Barnes up front. Tommy McCormick started in place of Steve Whitcher, who picked up an injury on Saturday, along with Kev James, Liam Green James Stokoe and Ben Thomson in midfield. The back row was again made up of Sam Lockyer, James Wilson and Dan Haysom, with Nick Hutchings behind them in goal. Lee Chudy, Steve Whitcher, Steve Moore, Alex Browne and Al Walker-Harris started on the bench.
Wimborne made a promising start, with Kev James looking particularly dangerous down the right flank. With 19 minutes gone he forced a corner which was eventually put out for another corner on the left. This was cleared, but Ben Thomson collected it on the left touchline and put over one of his trademark crosses which Gareth Barnes met with a glancing header to put the Magpies ahead.
Two minutes later, after another Wimborne corner, Thomson cut in from the right and put in a wicked curling shot which Stuart Williamson in the visitor’s goal did well to tip over the bar. Williamson was again in the action with two good saves from James Stokoe and one from Scott Joyce, after Joycey had missed the ball with his first attempt but recovered to get in a shot.
But the visitors also had their share of the play and went close with a shot inches wide of the post, though Nick Hutchings looked to have it covered, and then a shot on target which took a deflection from a Wimborne player to go wide.
Just before half time, Ben Thomson collected the ball just outside his own penalty area and took it down the middle of the field, past several defenders, but ran out of steam as he reached the edge of the area and the keeper, who’d come out well to close the angle, managed to deflect the shot.
The start of the second half saw Lee Chudy take to the field in place of Scott Joyce, who’s suffered a recurrence of his knee problem. Chudy was soon in action when he collected a though ball in the area but couldn’t get it past the advancing keeper.
Lymington had started the half applying pressure at the Wimborne end, but with eight minutes gone Wimborne went further ahead when Ben Thomson’s cross was met with a superb drive by Kev from the edge of the area, giving the keeper no chance.
Wimborne then turned on some of the best football of the game, stringing together incisive moves of fast, accurate passes which cut though the Lymington defence. Chudy again had a chance but couldn’t collect Williamson’s save from Barnes’s shot first time, and when he did get his shot in the keeper had recovered to smother the ball at point blank range. Chudy then created a chance out of nothing with an audacious overhead kick which again brought out the best in the visitor’s keeper.
On 73 minutes, Chudy finally collected his well deserved first goal for the club when the ball ran loose after Kev’s low cross and he fired home from three yards. Before the end, he also rattled the crossbar with a fierce drive from outside the area, but had to settle for a single goal where, against a lesser keeper, he could well have notched up a hat trick.
Kev James was named Wimborne’s man-of-the-match for another superb overall performance, and there were plenty of other good showings among the Wimborne team. The quality of some of Wimborne’s football might have deserved a higher goal count, but credit must go the visitors, and especially their keeper, for keeping the total respectable.
