Balti Sports 1-3 Dorchester Sports: Visitors in dominant win

DORCHESTER SPORTS 3

DORCHESTER Sports did the derby double over close rivals Balti Sports with a deserved 3-1 win at Weymouth College.

Ashley James’ men did all the damage in the first half, while Balti were left to ponder a grim performance befitting of a side starved of regular football in recent weeks.

Dorch Sports backed up their 2-1 success over Balti back in September and were even better value for the three points this time round.

Their triumph took them into seventh in the table, five places and 15 points above Marco Nott’s Balti.

READ MORE: Balti Sports goalkeeper Andy Nott retires

The hosts were slow to start at Cranford Avenue and paid the price.

Harrison Wallis, who saved Balti on countless occasions, tipped over a fizzing Alex Godfrey shot to concede a corner.

And Owen Peart punished sluggish defending as the set-piece was only partially cleared, darting into the box and unleashing a powerful drive into the top corner.

Wallis denied Peart a second after the attacking midfielder rounded him, before Joel Hewitt was denied by the Balti goalkeeper.

Dorch Sports continued to create chances as Billy Brumble had an effort cleared off the line, but Balti conjured an equaliser out of nothing.

Derek Wall chased down a lost cause and had the finishing ability to match his desire, drilling a fierce effort across keeper Nick Hutchings and into the far corner for 1-1.

Derek Wall, number nine, made it 1-1 (Image: IDRIS MARTIN)

The first half appeared to be drifting to its conclusion until three Balti defenders failed to contest a long ball, which was worked out wide.

Balti again missed a chance to clear their lines and Todd Coombs guided a looping header over Wallis for 2-1, Godfrey claiming the assist with a pinpoint cross.

And the visitors did not stop there, taking advantage of more slack Balti defending as Hewitt laid the ball off to Godfrey who unapologetically found the bottom corner.

In the second half, Wall lashed across goal for the hosts while, at the other end, sub Toby Read was repelled by Wallis and the goalkeeper then stood tall to deny Hewitt in a one-on-one.

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Toby Kelly attempted to find the bottom corner for 4-1 late on, but again Wallis showed his quality by turning the effort away.

Adding insult to injury, Balti were reduced to 10 men when former Dorchester Sports defender Gary Harvey was adjudged to have fouled new signing Lyes Selama, earning a straight red as last man.

Gary Harvey, centre, protests his innocence after being sent off (Image: IDRIS MARTIN)

Speaking to Echosport, James effused his delight at the result.

“To win down there, it’s been a while coming, I'm very pleased and even more so with the performance. It was pretty dominant from us,” he said.

“The only slight disappointment is that it wasn’t more but we’ll take the 3-1, it’s job done.

“I wouldn’t say it was easy, it was still a good battle, but we just played some of the best football we’ve played down there for a very long time.

“The squad was strong and everyone looked confident. In the end, if it wasn’t for their goalkeeper, it could’ve been six or seven.”

While James was ecstatic, Nott felt deflated and delivered a scathing review of his side’s display.

He said: “It was extremely disappointing. We were so sluggish, it was unbelievable. The fitness of the players was really poor. We did not get going, we were all over the place.

“Some of the goals we conceded were awful. A lot went wrong. It definitely doesn’t help we haven’t played for a long time. Our shape and distances were terrible, we were all at sea. We were so far off the pace, it was incredible.

“Literally, from the first five minutes we even looked sloppy and leggy then. We did play better second half but Harrison in goal made some superb stops to keep (the score) down.

“I think some people bottled it. I wasn’t impressed with the whole day.

“The least I expect is to give 100 per cent. I was at the ground at half nine, forking and raking (the pitch) making sure the game goes ahead.

“So, the least I expect was them to work hard and put in tackles. I feel some of them didn’t do that.”

Nott also took issue with Harvey’s red card, adding: “The striker was never going to get to it in a million years, he ran into Gaz on the halfway line. It was never a straight red, maybe a yellow.”

Balti move on to another derby, this time at home to Bridport Reserves, on Saturday, while Dorch Sports entertain Bournemouth Sports.

Balti: Wallis, Hawker, James, Butcher, Harvey, Nichols (Hansford 60), Gear (Stavrianos 46), McClements (Rupp 60), Batchelor (Stone 85), Chambers (Summers 46), Wall.

Dorch Sports: Hutchings, Pratt (Selama 60), Browne, Sands, O’Shaughnessy, Coombs, Brumble (Steele 40), Hewitt (Kelly 78), O Peart, Ellis (Read 65), Godfrey. Sub not used: Taylor.