Report taken from Bournemouth Echo
Wimborne Town had their colours lowered for the first time this season as Evesham United ground out a 2-0 victory at the Jubilee Stadium today.
The Magpies started on the front foot and were competitive throughout the first 45 minutes but succumbed to goals from Lance Smith and substitute Adam Mann as United forced the issue in the second half.
Boss Matty Holmes named an unchanged XI for the third match in a row on the back of victories over Bishop’s Cleeve and Paulton Rovers.
The visitors set the early tempo without prising open their opponents and the first chance fell to Evesham when captain Matt Sysum’s header from a corner was diverted over by team-mate Smith after 12 minutes.
Play was frequently broken up by niggly rather than cynical fouls before Wimborne created their first opening on 19 minutes.
Luke Holmes’s smart short-corner routine allowed Jamie Davidson to pivot in the penalty area and curl a lobbed effort towards the top far corner which Robins keeper Sam Gilder had to be alert to palm over.
Some incisive play through the middle saw Wimborne’s James Stokoe break through to shoot wide from distance as the match steadily began to open up.
United almost capitalised from another in-swinging corner as the ball flew past Sysum and Paul Fahy with the net gaping.
The match continued at a frenetic pace but the final ball or shot was missing with Evesham’s Nick Stanley guilty of skewing horribly wide from the edge of the box after 32 minutes.
Smith was thwarted at point-blank range by away keeper Pat O’Flaherty and the on-loan Cherries stopper then had to help to crowd out Fahy who had cut inside the grounded Sam Davidson.
At the other end, Toby Holmes was left to rue a missed opportunity when Gilder spilled a routine low cross at his feet and Sam Bayston was possibly too honest for his own good when a defender nibbled at his ankle in the penalty area, staying on his feet before being crowded out.
Wimborne quickly signalled their intent after the interval with Luke Holmes, Jamie Davidson and Bayston cutting through the middle but Toby Holmes’s return ball to Bayston was cut out at the last.
And once the breakthrough went the way of the home side after 52 minutes, the Magpies were unable to regain a foothold.
The visitors found themselves overpowered down the right, a feature of the second half, as Smith played wing-back Fahy into the space to drag back from the goal line.
Stanley found himself crowded out but Smith had made up enough ground to power home from close range.
After that, Wimborne were visibly rocked as Evesham pressed well to force errors.
Elliot Kennedy’s cross-shot prompted a hurried clearance from Sam Davidson but it proved to be a short stay of execution.
The game was almost up when United substitute Lorcan Sheehan released Smith down the right to cut across the box and unleash a shot that was deflected against the bar by Sam Davidson.
Stanley seemed destined to score when he burst through and rounded O’Flaherty but somehow, Paddy Hester cleared off the line.
The visitors continued to creak with Mann breezing past Scott Arnold to centre and Sam Davidson again needed to be on hand to smash into the stand.
But a quick short corner saw the ball come back in for Mann to make the most of the chaos and nudge home late on, sealing Evesham’s victory.
And there was still time for Mann and Sysum to go close but O’Flaherty was equal to their efforts in search of a third.
Evesham: Gilder, Dovey, Stanley (B Williams, 85), Turley, Sysum, Wellon, Kennedy, A Williams (Sheehan, 67), Smith, Fahy, Binns (Mann, 57). Unused subs: Brown, Bryan.
Booked: Sheehan.
Magpies: O’Flaherty, Maybury, Hester, Arnold, S Davidson, Kellaway (Penny, 69), Stokoe, L Holmes, T Holmes, J Davidson (Leonard, 72), Bayston. Unused subs: O’Sullivan, Randall, Benfield (g/k).
Referee: Robert Hathaway.
Attendance: 233.
