WIMBORNE TOWN 0 PAULTON ROVERS 1

Any concerns the Rovers’ management may have had that recent poor weather, leading to period of inactivity, might disturb their team’s fine run of form were dispelled within the first minute as Rovers raced into an early lead that they maintained until the end.

From the Town kick off a header out saw Ben Lacey volley a clearance that James Billing contested in the air with two Wimborne defenders and the ball dropped to Nick McCootie, some 25 yards out and his right foot shot beat the desperate dive of home keeper, Jason Harvell, low to his left.

The visitors went on to dominate the opening exchanges and on 6 minutes Scott Brice won a header from a long throw in by Stuart Pearson but Rovers failed to have a man on the back post and it was scrambled away for a corner. Just 2 minutes later and McCootie’s hard work down the right and subsequent pass sent Lacey away, who found Marcus Mapstone to lay the ball into the path of Craig Loxton but he couldn’t find the target from the edge of the box. The Town defence were struggling to cope with the pace and power of McCootie and only a fine save from Harvell prevented his second of the afternoon on 16 minutes. The visitors should have doubled their lead a minute later as Stuart Tovey’s throw in was touched onto Loxton, whose snap shot was well parried by Harvell but only to the feet of Lacey, who having showed great composure to take the ball past the keeper and a defender, saw his shot hit the foot of the post and go wide. Brice and Billing then had heading changes, the first producing an easy save for Harvell and the second flashing wide.

Gradually the home side got into the game and on 28 minutes a free kick from wide on the right went beyond the far post to Tom Jeffes who saw his volley well saved by Rovers’ keeper, Kyle Phillips at the near post. Then 6 minutes later Michael Hubbard sent over a corner, which Jon Blake headed just wide. However it was Rovers who came closest to scoring again before the interval as a seemingly harmless ball down the left channel was collected by McCootie, whose change of pace took him clear and his shot from a narrow angle saw Harvell get a hand to it, but it needed central defender, Nathan Peprah-Annan to clear the ball off the line.

Having failed to build on their lead and put the game beyond their hosts Rovers must have expected a reaction from them in the second period and it duly came as Phillips had an early save to make from a Jeffes header and Adam Costello flashed a header wide from a Hubbard free kick. Rovers still carried a threat, mainly through the impressive McCootie, who sent a shot just wide following a Jack Allward free kick. The home side upped the pressure without really troubling the visitors’ defence unduly and their frustration led to a booking for Blake for a second aggressive challenge on Phillips. Rovers weathered the storm and twice Lacey went on good runs, the first seeing his cross well cut out at the near post and the second ending with a dipping shot over the bar. In between Mapstone’s through ball sent Billing away and Harvell did well to get down and parry the shot.

Wimborne pressed in the final minutes but solid defending, a fine save from Phillips to turn aside Hubbard’s 35 yard free kick and two abysmal corners, one from either side that drifted harmlessly over the bar, ensured Rovers stretched their unbeaten league run to 10 matches and consolidate their sixth place. The home side’s disappointing afternoon was compounded with the sending off of Blake in injury time for a second yellow card.

Rovers: Kyle Phillips, Stuart Tovey, Jack Allward, Stuart Pearson, Scott Brice, Marcus Mapstone, Craig Loxton (Josh Egan 82 mins), Ben Lacey, James Billing, Dan Cleverley (C), Nick McCootie (Brad Norris 90 mins).
Subs not used: Josh Jeffries, Joe Vyner.

Paulton Man of the Match- Nick McCootie

Referee: Adam Ricketts

Assts: Bradley Savage / Joshua Judd

Match video highlights here courtesy of Wimborne

Attendance: 250