DORCHESTER SPORTS 2

BALTI SPORTS 1

DORCHESTER Sports tasted the champagne on derby day, beating nearest rivals Balti Sports 2-1 in their Dorset Premier League battle at the Avenue Stadium.

In a game full of incident but perhaps lacking in the usual spice of a derby, Dorchester Sports took the lead inside two minutes.

Balti skipper Aston Butcher underhit a pass and Owen Peart picked out Alex Godfrey with a precise ball, allowing the former Portland United striker to round keeper Harrison Wallis before tucking away his fifth goal of the season.

Godfrey later turned provider by bursting through the Balti defence and squaring for Dylan Ellis, who bagged his first goal in blue since moving from Chickerell United in the summer.

READ MORE: Merley 2-1 Dorchester Sports - report

At 2-0 after ten minutes, the hosts could have put the game to bed but for Wallis as the goalkeeper superbly tipped a Godfrey shot on the bar.

Wallis then saved two efforts from Joel Hewitt and Balti were given a further let-off when Peart skipped past three challenges and slotted wide.

Balti were not without chances themselves as Stef Stavrianos wasted two excellent openings, one fired wide from 12 yards and the other tamely placed at home keeper Nick Hutchings.

Butcher then became the latest Balti player to fail to test Hutchings with an opportunity on the edge of the box.

Balti did get their goal in the second half in typical Derek Wall fashion as he bulldozed his way onto a long ball before lifting a good finish beyond Hutchings for 2-1.

However, a similar situation proved his demise as Balti went down to ten men.

Wall was intent on chasing a bouncing long ball and clattered into Hutchings as the keeper came out of his area to head clear the danger.

Hutchings was spun round in midair and landed awkwardly on his back, the referee deeming it to have been a challenge using dangerous force and duly brandished a straight red to Wall.

The incident killed any momentum Balti had built up and the derby somewhat petered out afterwards.

READ MORE: Balti Sports 1-5 Sturminster Newton - report

Balti did try to find an equaliser, Oscar Preece twice shying at goal without luck, but had to settle for a loss.

Speaking to Echosport, winning manager Ashley James said: “It was a good game, the first 45 minutes we played some of the best stuff we have this season.

“We really could’ve gone in four or five up but only went in 2-0 up. We knew the next goal was crucial and fair play to them, they cameout a different side second half and really put us under some pressure.

“We didn’t quite get going. They got their goal and looked to be on top until the red card.

“We brought on Matt Groves up top and he held the ball up really well. In the end, we defended well against ten men and got a very important victory.”

On the other hand, Balti boss Marco Nott felt aggrieved with the red card decision.

He said: “It was a 50-50 challenge, Derek had every right to go for the ball, we’ve got video evidence of what happened.

“In my opinion it was not a red card. It was a big blow to try and chase the game with ten men.”

Nott added: “We started so poorly and gave them a two-goal head start. For the first 15 minutes we were all over the place.

“We got better second half but it was a pretty poor red card which killed the game. It’s disappointing to lose and obviously wasn’t meant to be.”

Dorch Sports: Hutchings, Pratt, Steele, Browne, Sands, Coombs, Brumble (Groves 60), O Peart (G Taylor 80), Hewitt (Leake 55), Ellis (McNamara 70), Godfrey. Sub not used: Read.

Balti: Wallis, F Jarvis, Hawker, Butcher, Rupp (Allison 70), Biles, Devaney, Stavrianos (Batchelor 60), Chambers (Preece 55), Summers (Hansford 75), Wall. Sub not used: Mutch.