Hayes & Yeading’s second season playing home games at Kingfield came to an end on Tuesday evening as United were defeated 3-1 by a strong and physical Dorchester Town side.
The United management team made one change from the weekend’s line-up as Tom Cadmore returned in central defence in place of Calum Butcher.
With both sides having little to play for but pride it never looked like being a game to remember, sadly for United this was to be the case as the visitors were to return to Dorset with all three points.
An early effort for the Magpies saw Charlie Clough rise highest to meet a corner only for his header to clear the United goal. On 14 minutes the first goal of the game went to United as Tom Collins received the ball in the right channel, turned into the box and darted between two defenders before firing past Jason Matthews in the visitors goal.
The home sides celebrations were to be extremely short lived though as virtually straight from the kick-off the ball was played forwards to Ben Watson who from a similar position to Collins previously, outpaced the United defence and fired under Brandon Hall to level the score.
Despite the two quick fire goals neither side were really able to create a decent opening again until the 40th minute when a corner from the left side was met by former Truro City striker Kieffer Moore but his headed effort was held by Hall.
Just before the hour mark sloppy defending by United saw them caught in possession 25 yards from their own goal by Sam Malsom, the Magpies wide man making straight for goal and slamming the ball past the unprotected Hall to give the visitors the lead.
Three minutes later it nearly got worse for the home side when Moore was given space to control and shoot on the turn, his effort going wide by a whisker.
John Goddard was soon to test Matthews, heving run at the Magpies defence, the United midfielder fired in a shot through a crowd that the Magpies keeper saw late but still managed to gather at the foot of the post.
United’s only other chance of note came on 75 minutes when substitute Brendan Cowell dragged the ball under control on the edge of the box and got a shot away on the turn but it deflected wide off Clough for a corner that subsequently came to nothing.
Two minutes later at the opposite end Clough was given far too much freedom in the United box, the central defender chesting down a corner just inside the area before picking his spot on the volley, beating Hall into the top corner.
Two further chances fell to the Magpies in the final ten minutes. Moore played an excellent ball across the field to Watson who saw his volley flash wide of the post and then in the last minute the same player broke through the middle of the United defence only to be denied by Hall who made a fine save, spreading himself in front of the striker.
Report by Kevin Watts.
United Man of the Match: John Goddard.
Print the Teamsheet: Here.
