Yaku pounces

HAMPTON & RICHMOND 1 Yaku 49

STRUGGLING Dorchester surprised title hopefuls Hampton & Richmond Borough with a determined performance which almost brought them a deserved share of the spoils.

But a moment’s hesitation in the Magpies’ defence proved pivotal as Barrie Matthews crossed from the right and Lawrence Yaku darted in front of keeper Gareth Stewart, who stayed rooted to his line, to head the game’s only goal from six yards.

The hosts carved out an equal number of chances as their high flying visitors and dominated the first half but again failed to take their chances although only a whisker and the crossbar prevented the fast-improving Jacob Erskine and Phil Walsh opening their goal accounts respectively.

It was the Beavers who impressed during the opening exchanges with Matthews pumping over a left wing centre which flew over Stewart and was headed off the line by Kevin Hill.

Then a free-kick from visiting skipper Dean Wells was nodded on by Yaku to Stuart Lake who fired high over the bar from 12 yards.

The same player then met a Matthews’ free-kick at the far post but could only head tamely into Stewart’s arms.

After weathering the early pressure, the Magpies rallied to dominate proceedings.

Mark Jermyn’s seventh minute ball into the box was laid off by Walsh for Nick Crittenden to drill a low ball across the face of goal which narrowly eluded the diving Erskine.

A stumbling Crittenden then regained his balance to produce a shot which was blocked in front of goal while Gleeson picked up a pass from Crittenden but pulled his shot wide from 20 yards.

Erskine with his back to goal tried his luck with an overhead kick which sailed wide and was then denied by Ian Hodges who headed clear on the six-yard line after the Dagenham & Redbridge youngster had redirected a Crittenden free-kick towards goal.

Dorchester continued to apply pressure and when the Beavers failed to clear, Tom Mitchell’s ball into the box was met by Walsh but his shot on the turn lacked accuracy.

The impressive Erskine then surged past Wells before crossing deep to the far post where the unmarked Jake Smeeton could only pull his shot wide from six yards.

Yaku interrupted the Dorchester domination with a surging run and a shot over the crossbar but the Magpies were soon back on the offensive forcing a succession of fruitless corners before Walsh met a Mitchell centre only to loop a header straight at Beavers’ keeper Matt Lovett.

Lake went close at the other end when he headed just wide from Graham Harper’s cross while Francis Quarm unleashed a 25-yard drive which dipped just over the crossbar.

But the turning point came after just four second half minutes as Dorchester failed to spot the danger of the lurking Yaku.

The Magpies tried to hit back – Ashley Vickers headed wide from a Crittenden free-kick, Hill sliced his shot wide at the far post following a Crittenden corner, Gleeson beat two defenders before firing over from 20 yards and Erskine then met a Walsh cross but his header from six yards was saved by Lovett.

The Beavers came close to doubling their lead when Matthews rifled a 20-yard effort towards goal which was parried by Stewart but Hill was on hand to complete the clearance.

The Dorchester keeper then saved another Matthews effort at his near post.

But Dorchester came so close to grabbing an equaliser when Critt-enden meandered across the 18-yard line before having a shot blocked.

The ball ran loose to Smeeton who crossed from the left to Walsh whose looping header beat Lovett but cannoned back into play off the crossbar. The Beavers scrambled the ball away but only as far as Mitchell who unleashed a shot from 20 yards which flew a foot over Lovett’s goal.

After that the Dorchester challenge seemed to fade and the introduction of substitutes Darren Watts and Tom Clarke for Mitchell and Smeeton failed to provide the spark required to ignite a Dorchester revival.

Indeed the only other goal attempts of note came from the visitors for whom Lake, Hodges and substitute Kieran Knight all despatched efforts wide in the final 13 minutes.

Dorchester will take comfort from an improved performance in front of their own fans and the fact that they ended the day in no worse a position after Thurrock lost by the same scoreline against Basingstoke Town at Camrose.

Dorchester: Stewart, Bowles, Hill. Jermyn, Vickers, Gleeson, Crittenden, Mitchell (Watts 64), Erskine, Walsh, Smeeton (Clarke 84). Subs not used: Reeve, Nicholson, Coward.

Hampton & R: Lovett, Harper, Fernandes, Jeffrey, Scarborough, Wells, S Lake, Quarm, Hodges, Yaku (Knight 75), Matthews (McDonald 90). Subs not used: Tyson, McAuley, R Lake.