Nearly a decade of Ridgeway derby misery was finally laid to rest for Dorchester as player-manager Mark Jermyn’s stunning strike handed the Magpies their first league victory over the Terras in nine years.
They had suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat at early season leaders Chippenham on Saturday, whilst the Terras had snatched a last gasp draw at home to St Neots Town.
Weymouth made four changes to the side which had played on Saturday – with Evans, Yetton, Baldwin and Molesley coming in for Copp, McPhee, Grant and Lowes.
Meanwhile there was good news for Dorchester fans prior to kick off – as last season’s top scorer Nathan Walker returned to the club on duel registration from Gosport, and was thrown straight into the starting xi.
In truth it was a very scrappy affair with very little in the way of goal mouth action.
Stewart Yetton had an early shot on the turn comfortably saved by Alan Walker-Harris, whilst at the other end Matthews no doubt breathed a sign of relief when a Jermyn drive was deflected straight into his arms.
The second half continued in much the same vain, although gradually Dorchester began to get on top.
Jonah Ayunga was hauled down on the edge of the box by Baldwin who received a yellow card for his troubles. The hosts felt it was worthy of a more serious punishment, but Matthews would surely have been favourite to get to the ball first.
Saturday’s saviour Chris McPhee was introduced to the action for Weymouth after an hour, but there was very little for him to feed off in and around the penalty area.
Then, on 72 minutes came the moment the home fans had been dreaming of.
Brad Tarbuck’s corner was cleared, but it only fell to Jermyn on the edge off the box. He took aim and fired an unstoppable strike into the roof of the net to give the Magpies a precious lead, and spark scenes of complete pandemonium behind the goal.
Weymouth now had to go for broke, and they threw on Jordan Copp and Josh Grant in one last throw of the dice, but they were unable to fashion any clear cut chances.
Adam Kelly attempted an audacious overhead kick but saw his effort fly well wide of the mark, whilst in the closing stages Molesley’s drive from a free-kick was tipped over the bar by Walker-Harris, who eventually claimed the ball from the resulting corner after a bit of a scramble on the edge of the six yard box.
The Magpies played out the remaining few minutes quite comfortably, and the celebrations began an earnest as the full time whistle blew – handing the county town outfit a long overdue derby success.
In truth it was a game with very little quality on offer and very little for the fans to get their teeth into, but the Magpies won’t mind that one bit. Particularly after last season’s four defeats to their rivals – this result meant everything to them, as was evident during the celebrations at full time.
For Weymouth, it’s a crushing defeat. They never got going all afternoon. They resorted to lumping it long to Yetton and Thomson with no success, didn’t play with any width or pace, and just generally lacked that spark in the final third. They pretty much played right into Dorchester’s hands.
Take nothing away from Dorchester though – their performance typified their player-manager as a person. They wanted it more on the day and took their chance when it came.
From their point of view it was just a shame a crowd of only 1357 turned up to see it. For a game that used to attract crowds of 3-4000 in the not too distant past, it was a somewhat disappointing turnout from both sides.
The Magpies will look to kick on from that memorable derby victory when they make the long journey to Cambridge City on Saturday.
The Lillywhites have made a pretty good start taking 13 points from their opening seven games. Both sides have strong defensive records so far so it should be a tight game, and the Magpies will certainly fancy their chances of getting a positive result.
Weymouth must lick their wounds and put things right on Saturday when they welcome Histon to the Bob Lucas Stadium.
They’ve made a pretty indifferent start to the season and have had some fairly extreme results at both ends of the scale. Their last two away games have included a 7-1 defeat and a 5-0 win!
Meanwhile, Poole Town will be looking to kick on from their two impressive victories over the Bank Holiday weekend when they make the treck to Norfolk to face Kings Lynn Town.
Again, Kings Lynn have had a mixed start to the season, and they’re finding goals hard to come by. The Dolphins will surely fancy their chances of making it three wins in a row.
** A quick side note. On Saturday Weymouth’s home game with St Neots Town ended in a pretty sour note when a visiting supporter collapsed on the terraces. Both physios, St John’s paramedics and even the visiting goalkeeper were on the scene in seconds, and the supporter was taken to DCH.
It looked very nasty at the time, but the good news is Mr Alan Palmer is said to be in a “comfortable condition” in hospital and is in good spirits.
He has been overwhelmed by the messages of good will he has received from fans and players around the Southern League.
Were it not for a young boy running onto the pitch and alerting everyone to the situation, and the rapid response of the medical teams at the ground, it could have been much worse. They deserve a lot of praise for their response.
Things like this certainly put things into perspective. We wish Alan a full and speedy recovery, and hope he is back on the terraces cheering on his team soon. Get well soon sir.
James Spring
