BASINGSTOKE TOWN 3

Ferdinand 45+1, Wilson 63, Hodges 90+7

DORCHESTER TOWN 1

Turner 59

DORCHESTER Town’s slim hopes of reaching the Pitching In Southern League Premier South play-offs were ended by a 3-1 defeat at Basingstoke Town.

While the Magpies were punished for missing a catalogue of chances in the first half, they were at least consoled by Bracknell’s 2-1 win over champions Chesham, which meant a victory at Basingstoke still would not have been enough.

Liam Ferdinand’s smash-and-grab opener put the Stoke ahead in first-half stoppage-time but a maiden Magpies goal for Ieuan Turner levelled the scores.

That was until an excellent finish from Bradley Wilson as Basingstoke restored their lead.

READ MORE: Basingstoke Town 3-1 Dorchester Town - how it happened

And, as Dorchester keeper Jameson Horlick went up for the corner in the dying embers, Paul Hodges’ incredible strike from close to his own box hit the post and trickled over the line in the 97th minute.

The defeat ended Dorchester’s scintillating 12-game unbeaten run, but Tom Killick’s men can still finish in their highest position for 11 years if they move up one place to eighth on the final day.

Dorchester named an unchanged starting XI from the side that beat Tiverton 2-0 in midweek.

All their changes came on the bench where Luke Roberts and Lewis Waterfield returned at the expense of Lewis Toms.

Flush with confidence during their stunning sequence of results, Dorchester threatened at almost every opportunity but crucially could not breach the Basingstoke goalline.

Luke Pardoe drilled wide in the sixth minute while Drew Eccott-Young followed suit after promising build-up play from Marcus Daws.

Olaf Koszela and Shaq Gwengwe also blasted wide and the big chances flowed as Pardoe was superbly denied by Grant and Billy Upton hooked off the line to deprive the Magpies.

After a breathless 15 minutes the action relented and Basingstoke conjured their first chance when Ferdinand was denied by Horlick.

Dorchester broke after that chance, only for Corby Moore to rifle over, but the Magpies were soon back on top.

Koszela’s fierce drive forced Grant into an adept tumbling save and, from the resulting corner, Moore’s floated delivery picked out 19-year-old Ed James who headed at Grant.

Grant’s work was far from done in the half, though, as Gwengwe fizzed a header at him which required an interception on the line.

However, Basingstoke inched themselves in front as Ferdinand touched a long ball beyond Horlick and bobbled the ball over the line for 1-0 as the hosts somehow ended the half in front.

Koszela and skipper Jordan Ngalo both shot wide early in the second period, prompting Killick into his first change in the 56th minute as Eccott-Young came off for striker Will Fletcher.

His change had the desired effect as Dorchester levelled three minutes later, Turner getting the final touch after Moore’s corner caused a goalmouth scramble.

Parity was only restored for four minutes as Dorchester failed to clear their lines and Wilson was there to power a sizzling strike beyond Horlick for 2-1.

Dorchester had no other alternative but to flood forward in the last throes as they looked, at minimum, to preserve their unbeaten run.

Daws and Turner came off late on for Jonny Efedje and Harry Redknapp Jr respectively but Basingstoke proved difficult to dislodge on the 3G turf.

One final roll of the dice saw Horlick go up for a free-kick deep into added time and, when the Stoke cleared their lines, Hodges belted the ball three quarters of the pitch.

Dorchester could only watch on in agony as the ball bounced three times, hit the post and laboured over the line to inflict their first away loss for nearly five months.

Ninth-placed Dorchester round off their season next Saturday at home to promotion hopefuls AFC Totton (3pm).

Basingstoke: Grant, Kokoszka, Giamattei, Le Paih, Angell, Upton, Wilson, Dunn (Cook 74), Ferdinand (S Moore 84), Hodges, Isaiah Rowe. Subs not used: Brown, Impiazzi, Halliday.

Magpies: Horlick, Eccott-Young (Fletcher 56), Haste, Turner (Redknapp Jr 88), Ngalo, James, Daws (Efedje 84), C Moore, Koszela, Gwengwe, Pardoe. Subs not used: Waterfield, Roberts.

Referee: Martin Bloor.

Attendance: 1,035.