DORSET SENIOR CUP
WEDNESDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2014
SHAFTESBURY TOWN 3 VERWOOD TOWN 3 (3-5 to Verwood on penalties)

Absences meant a very much changed team and bench. For this Dorset Senior Ciup Game we fielded….

Collins Evans Buck Anderton McGilchrist Dyer Murray Cousins Fisk Gajic Rutten On the bench Whelan Read Lynch Poore

Shaftesbury wasted no time in 'Getting at us'. A quick break down the right was blocked by Buck and then a high ball into the box was headed clear by Anderton.

Pressure was maintained. Dyer and Cousins worked hard in mid field and the industrious Gajic supplemented their efforts with an energetic display in front of the back four.

Evans worked the flank with 10 minutes gone and a deep cross was volleyed wide by Fisk.

Murray linked with Gajic to open up the Shaftesbury defence but his effort flew wide of the upright.

Shaftesbury then pressed us back and we had our work cut out keeping them to the edge of the box. Collins pulled off a couple of good saves but generally we looked solid.

20 minutes and Dyer cut loose to hammer home a well taken goal. 1-0.

Shaftesbury hit back immediately and McGilchrist did well to contain an attacker on the edge of the area.

Buck blocked another attack on Shaftesbury's right hand flank and a line ball sent Fisk away. A cut back found Cousins and a crossfield ball fell nicely for Rutten. A low ball into the area was almost turned in by Fisk but the keeper made an excellent stop.

Shaftesbury played some good accurate football keeping us penned in our third and almost drew level with a defence splitting pass giving an opportunity just inside the box. Collins was down quickly to safely gather at the foot of the post.

42 minutes and we shook off the shackles to make a break through Cousins and Dyer. A good move nicely finished off by Rutten giving us a 2-0 lead.

It made for a rousing end to the half as Shaftesbury had an attacking flurry that we managed to stem.

Half Time 2-0

The malaise took hold. 3 minutes into the second half we were still congratulating ourselves on being ahead when Shaftesbury took a well deserved opportunity to make it 2-1.

Another 3 minutes and it was 2-2 as Shaftesbury taught us how to attack and convert chances.

Shell shocked.

We scrambled through the next 10 minutes trying to find pace and rhythm. Evans was suffering a bit after his activities on honeymoon and gave way for Tom Whelan to bolster mid field.

Murray Cousins and Dyer made progress through the middle and finished with another Fisk effort the keeper did well to hold. A big boot gave way for runners and we quickly closed ranks for Anderton to clear high and wide out of the area.

Shaftesbury pressed forward and our back four was under bombardment for some time before we steadied up and got back into the game.

Whelan went close and Cousins went even closer with a shot from outside the box.

End to end stuff followed until the whistle took us into extra time.

105 minutes and Shaftesbury went ahead with a well worked move and good finish. 2-3.

Lynch came on to play up field and with 108 minutes on the clock Lynch rose high above a cluttered box to power an unstoppable header into the roof of the net. 3-3.

Shaftesbury went close on 120 minutes but it had to go to the dreaded penalty shoot out to finish the tie.

Whelan …. Gajic ….. Buck … Anderton … Fisk all stepped to the plate and stuck the ball in the net.

Collins helped the cause by launching himself at the third spot kick and making a great save.

We went home with a win under our belts and a tie with Poole Town in the quarter finals in December.

Result 3-3 with a penalty win 5-3.

Report submitted by Bernard Scott