DORCHESTER TOWN 1

Ngalo 29

WIMBORNE TOWN 2

Baker 44, Lovell 66

DORCHESTER Town were beaten by Step 4 side Wimborne Town at a windy and drenched Avenue Stadium.

Jordan Ngalo’s sweet curler gave the hosts a slender advantage but Wimborne battled back superbly with a goal in each half from Harry Baker and Jack Lovell to record a victory against a side ranked one league above them.

Dorchester began with intent and very nearly took the lead inside ten seconds as Leighton Thomas darted inside and drilled wide of the near post.

An eventful start nearly produced a goal at the other end as the returning Callum Buckley was lucky not to score an own goal, deflecting ex-Magpie Oakley Hanger’s cross narrowly wide of the far post.

READ MORE: Dorchester must learn from Yeovil strikers, says Glenn Howes

Wimborne should have hit the target seconds later, working a chance for new signing Jamie Johnstone which he lashed inches over.

Johnstone was involved again in the 12th minute when he collided with the post after beating Jordi Foot on the byline, Wimborne’s fervent cries for a penalty ignored by referee James Durkin.

Dorchester settled midway through the half as their pressing began to cause Wimborne problems.

Their Trialist B was denied by a last-ditch block and Lewis Waterfield then tested ex-Terras keeper Bert White with a low skidder for the game’s first shot on target.

Dorchester’s pressure eventually told as Thomas flashed a deflected shot across the face of goal and Wimborne were punished for not clearing the corner as Ngalo caressed a lovely finish into the far corner for 1-0 on 29 minutes.

Thomas was a particularly big danger to Wimborne with his reading of the game and he intelligently closed down White and harried him into an error, the visitors lucky to see former Dorchester forward Matty Neale come back to sweep up the mess.

Buckley then won the ball in Wimborne’s half as the harassment continued, the centre-back connecting sweetly with a shot from 25 yards only to see it rise just above the bar.

Wimborne’s equaliser then came out of nothing on 44 minutes, Hanger chipping a free-kick to the byline where Connor Cocklin picked out the predatory Baker to volley home for 1-1.

Chances continued to emerge in the second half as Foot’s guided effort from a Bertrand corner lacked venom to trouble White, while Hanger blasted over on the stretch in the very next attack.

Wimborne went on to enjoy their best spell of the game as Ben Satterley placed over from a Baker lay-off and Hanger was denied by Thomas’s fine tip-over save.

Dorchester responded when White showed agility to push clear Buckley’s dipping header, although Wimborne would take the lead on 66 minutes.

Lovell reacted quickest to a second ball inside the area and fired home into the bottom-right corner, despite Lloyd Thomas getting fingertips to it.

Dorchester should have levelled on 70 minutes when Wimborne’s Sam Roberts misjudged a long ball by sub Tiago Sa, freeing Leighton Thomas.

However, the Cayman Islands international’s heavy touch caused him to check back and Wimborne snuffed out the danger without having to defend a shot.

Amid a sea of substitutions, Dorchester fashioned another huge chance as Trialist B somehow slid in to fire straight at White from a Thomas cross when it seemed easier to score.

There was concern for Thomas five minutes from time when he limped off injured, joining a growing list of casualties for the Magpies in pre-season.

The hosts pushed on in search of a leveller, sub Jamie Hosking’s deflected effort having all the sting taken from it, but an equaliser proved elusive as Wimborne clinched an impressive win.

Magpies: Ll Thomas, Bertrand (Hosking 75), Slough (Sa 67), Foot, Ngalo, Buckley (Trialist E 72), Trialist A (Trialist F 72), Waterfield (Toms 64), Le Thomas (Trialist B 85), Trialist B (Trialist D 82), Trialist C. Subs not used: Trialist G, Trialist H, Graziano.

Wimborne: White, Hanger, Scorey (Trialist I 22), Cocklin, Arnold (Roberts 46), Walker (Morgan 60), Satterley, Johnstone (Bedford 60), Baker, Lovell, Neale (Beale 60). Sub not used: Flitney.