Wimborne continued their 2010 run with a comfortable 5-2 win over an unimpressive New Milton side. Lee Chudy doubled his goal tally for Wimborne with a hat trick, and also provided the passes for Gareth Barnes and James Stokoe to score the other two.
With Scott Joyce, Perry Mullins and Paul Roast still injured Wimborne fielded an unchanged side. The line-up was Nick Hutchings in goal, James Wilson, Dan Haysom, Steve Gilbert and, Sam Lockyer at the back, Kev James, Liam Green, James Stokoe and Ben Thomson in midfield, and Gareth Barnes and Lee Chudy up front. Tommy McCormick, Steve Whitcher, Tom Clarke, John Wyatt and Al Walker-Harris were on the bench.
Wimborne got on top from the start and continued their domination throughout the game. In the first minute James Stokoe shot just over the bar and a minute later Gareth Barnes shot over after superb work by Lee Chudy, who himself hit the crossbar after ten minutes. More good work by Chudy set up Wimborne’s first goal on 16 minutes when his cross was met with a looping header by Gareth Barnes.
Immediately Nick Hutchings in the Wimborne goal was forced into a save, but Wimborne soon returned to the ascendancy. On the half hour Liam Green left the field with an injury, Tommy McCormick taking his place.
Kev James and Ben Thomson were continually opening up the home defence with runs down the flanks, and on 32 minutes they combined to set up the second goal. Thomson’s cross from the left cleared the goalmouth and was picked up by Kev on the right who fired it across the face of the goal for Chudy to turn it in with his knee at the far post. Ten minutes later Chudy used some neat footwork to create himself some space to score his second with a lovely shot from 20 yards.
A three goal half time lead seemed poor reward for Wimborne’s superiority, but within seconds of the restart it was reduced to two, when an extraordinary mistake by Nick saw him completely fail to collect a harmless ball and could only watch it roll into the net. It was the sort of error that all keepers make occasionally, and at least it happened in a game where it was never likely to affect the result.
Four minutes into the half a dangerous tackle saw New Milton’s number 11 Joe Collins sent off and Steve Gilbert needing lengthy treatment.
On 55 minutes Chudy again turned provider with a neat flick from James Wilson’s through ball which set up Stokoe to plant a low shot into the corner from 16 yards.
On just over the hour, Steve Whitcher came on to replace Gilbert, who had tried to soldier on after his injury, but it was not to be Steve’s lucky day. After only three minutes he was brought down in the area by a lunging tackle but rather than award a penalty the ref showed Steve a yellow card. It was hard to see how he could have remained on his feet. After another three minutes he saw his header saved on the line by a defender’s outstretched hand, but the ref waved play on.
But Whitcher was to have a part in the action and on 73 minutes he fired the ball hard and low into the area for Chudy to complete his hat trick.
Though overall the match hadn’t been the most riveting, towards the end Wimborne played some of their best football of the game and looked capable of more goals. But it was the home side who managed the final goal late on when Nick parried a shot into the path of a new Milton forward who gratefully accepted the invitation.
It’s hard to argue with Ken’s assessment of James Stokoe as Wimborne’s man-of-the-match, but I think I would lean towards Lee Chudy who, with a hat trick and two great passes to set up the other goals, consolidated his impressive start for the club.
