WIMBORNE'S impressive start to the new Wessex League season came unstuck as nine-man Fareham Town registered a deserved 3-1 win in their noon showdown.

Paul Arnold's side, unbeaten in three league games before their clash at Cams Alders, were strangely lethargic against a decent, yet unspectacular, Fareham side who fielded former Cherries loan defender David Birmingham at left-back.

The home side even claimed the points with a degree of comfort, despite seeing two men dismissed by the referee.

Fareham's pacy front two were the constant cause of concern for Arnold's defence with ex-Fulham trainee Danny White the best player on the pitch by a considerable distance.

His two goals either side of half-time, were taken in the style of a striker who is surely destined for a higher level of football in the future.

Although Wimborne defender Paul Roast produced two fine pieces of defending to thwart White early in the contest, the rangy forward latched on to a hopeful ball over the top in first-half stoppage time to poke his effort past the advancing Stewart Kearn.

The striker did it again around the hour mark as he again slipped his marker to fire coolly beyond Kearn into the far corner.

Wimborne only had a first-half Stuart Cannie shot that he dragged wide and Adie Butler's hurried effort over the bar to show for their efforts until Fareham set about undermining their good work.

Ashley Edwards was adjudged to have stamped on his Wimborne opponent amid much incredulity and was given his marching orders, but his offence seemed mild compared to Louis Savage's horrific two-footed first-half lunge on the Magpies' Damon Cousins.

Savage has clearly modelled himself on his Premiership namesake's hard man image and was hugely fortunate to escape with a yellow card for the kind of tackle that could so easily have warranted a straight red.

Cousins, meanwhile, didn't last long into the second period with the knee injury he picked up as a result.

With their one-man advantage, Wimborne at least began to exert some pressure on the Fareham defence with their goalkeeper Ady Smith looking decidedly suspect on crosses.

Indeed, Wayne Crutcher should have buried a header from a corner as Smith went walkabout only to see it sail over the bar.

The Magpies' spirits were lifted in stoppage time as Roast at last made Smith pay for his failure to deal with a cross as he nodded home Paul Rideout's cross.

But with the visitors now throwing caution to the wind in search of an unlikely equaliser, Warren Hunt - Fareham's ex-Portsmouth trainee - showed good pace to escape down the left and hammer past Kearn.

With the result now sealed, it seemed rather stupid that Fareham substitute Danny Boyle - who had only been on the field a matter of minutes - saw fit to aim a kick at Scott Arnold.

The subsequent red card upset the locals, but the referee could hardly be blamed for that one.

Disappointed Wimborne boss Arnold said afterwards: "I thought we were poor.

"We didn't start playing until they had their first lad sent off, but we rode our luck in previous games this season. Maybe it just ran out a bit this time."

Wimborne: Kearn, Rideout, Jones (Percival, 67), Crutcher, Roast, Cousins (Phillipson-Masters, 48), Moore, Arnold, Cooper, Cannie, Butler (Doyle, 67). Unused sub: Clements.