30/01/2010

Dorset League Division 2

Milborne Sports 1  Sturminster Marshall Res 1

Stur travelled to Milborne St Andrew and returned home with a hard earned point from the top of the table clash.

The visitors got off to a bright start and took the lead in the 6th minute. Andy Jones was brought down twenty five yards from goal and Erkan Mete curled the free kick around the wall and into the bottom corner of the net.

The lead didn't last long. Four minutes later the defence went to sleep and a quickly taken throw in found a forward with time to pick his space and slot the ball past the exposed Andy Talbot in the Stur goal.

The game was an interesting contest between two very different styles, with the route-one long-ball style of Milborne contrasting sharply with the get-the-ball-down-and-move-it style preferred by Stur. The home side's hit-it-long style was looking more effective. They had plenty of pace up-front and the ball over the top was causing problems. Milborne missed no less than three one-on-one chances in a ten minute period mid way through the half, a mix of Andy Talbot, last ditch defending and snatched finishing combining to keep the scores level. On the stroke of half time, Tom Rudd turned inside his defender and curled a shot against the foot of the post with the keeper well beaten.

HT: 1-1

The home side undoubtedly had the better of the first half, but the second period was a different story. Stur were on top from the kick off. Luke Geddes had a great chance to put the visitors in front but he snatched at his shot and sent the ball wide of the post from six yards. Andy Jones found Tom Rudd in space and the Stur man's shot came back off a defender with the keeper beaten. Andy Jones was first to the loose ball but his headed effort was saved on the line by the desperately retreating keeper.

The traffic was all one way and it looked like there was only going to be one winner, but in the 4th minute of added time the visitors were almost caught cold when they committed too many men forward in search of the winning goal. Milborne broke quickly and Joe Wood was faced with two onrushing forwards. He was equal to the task and timed his challenge perfectly to nick the ball off the toes of the man in possession. It was the last act of an entertaining match.