LYMINGTON TOWN 2 HAMWORTHY UNITED 1
Sydenhams Wessex League Premier Division Tues (08-01-08)
On a night when most of the other Wessex League games had been called off the Hammers must have wished that this one had been one of the casualties. Things got off to a bad start when Jack Swann had to pull out (ham-string tightening) at the warm up stage thus depleting the side even further. This was very much a game of two halves, and pivoted round the dismissal of Ryan Dovell right at the end of the first half.
Hamworthy were much the better side in the first half, and almost went ahead in the first five minutes through James Pinder who was making his first start for the Hammers.The same player had an even better opportunity when he jinxed his way into the penalty area with just the keeper to beat, but delayed his shot. A Lymington player managed to get back on the line to clear the shot when it eventually came. United were playing some good passing football at this point, and were easily the better of the two sides restricting the Home Side to the odd breaks which they easily dealt with. In the thirty fifth minute James Pinder again made a dangerous run into a crowded penalty box, but was this time brought down. Ryan Dovell stepped up to drive the resulting spot kick low past the keeper. The Hammers were now fully in control of the game, that is until their first real mistake. Alan Marsh decided to take a long clearance on his chest instead of heading it away. This gave the Lymington man who was closing him down time to rob him of the ball, run on, draw Martyn Peters off his line, and roll the ball past him from an acute angle into the net. Just before the half time whistle Ryan Dovell was dismissed for a careless two footed challenge which was similar to one by a Lymington player in the second half that went unpunished.
Lymington took full advantage of facing only ten men, and took the game to United right from the restart. They forced the Hammers to defend deep, and had several opportunities to score before they eventually did. The usually solid Hammers defence that was reshuffled at the break from three at the back to four, now looked decidedly shaky at times. The Town attack that was non existent now looked dangerous. The winning goal always looked on the cards as the ten men struggled to get their game going again. It came with just over twenty minutes to go with a shot hooked in from fifteen yards. The Hammers did try and rally as time ran out with a couple of shots that were just off target, but the equaliser was not to be.
Team: M. Peters, A. Marsh (B. Williams), M. Grimason, S. Gilbert (D. Baguley), N. Walker, M. Dean, R. Middleton, M. Hubbard, J. Pinder, R. Dovell, R. Jackson Unused Subs: J. Swann, M. Seal.