Marine 2 Winchester City 0

Match Report from Pete Crockett

MARINE TURN THE TABLES ON WINCHESTER CITY

I love a match where two teams go “toe-to-toe“ and engage in an old-fashioned tussle. These are not games that are necessarily pleasing on the eye. They are hard fought contests where no ground is ceded easily.

The recent heavy defeat Winchester City inflicted upon Marine in the FA Trophy added some edge to this fixture. In such circumstances there is invariably a determination in the defeated team to swiftly rectify the proverbial “bad day at the office”. Marine managed this although the Citizens were most certainly not in the mood to roll over and played with determination until the final whistle. This was a genuinely hard-earned win.

Marine nearly opened the scoring in the first minute. Dave Sims-Burgess surged down the right flank and then fizzed a ball across the six-yard box. Harry Williams slid to guide the ball into the net, but the ball just eluded his full stretch lunge.

Five minutes later Marine’s Luke Purnell got down well to save a Tommy Wright effort. Then on nine minutes Michael Fernandes had a well struck free kick well held by Luke Cairney in the visitor’s goal.

Michael Fernandes ran at the Winchester defence all night!
Image from Alex White Photography

In the twelfth minute Marine’s Anton Dworzak slid into a tackle on Winchester City’s Callum Buckley. The Marine player seemed not to make contact with the ball and did make contact with the player. Players from both teams converged in a midfield melee; the claims and counter claims for and against a red card were voiced; and referee Craig Davenport deemed the tackle to be worthy of a caution.

Once tempers had calmed the match recommenced. The first chance of note fell to Marine’s Anton Dworzak whose shot from the edge of the area was deflected wide of the post by a defensive block. The opening goal came from the resultant corner. **Ioan Richards rose eagle like. His powerful header thundered past Luke Cairney and into the back of the net.

On the half hour mark a good effort from Marine’s Ryan Campbell forced a sharp save from Luke Cairney in the Citizen’s goal. Minutes later the visiting keeper went down injured. The stoppage saw the Winchester manager take advantage of the break in play to speak to his team. After this discussion the visitors seemed to adjust their formation.

Ioan Richards scored the first goal for Marine
Image from Alex White Photography

With five minutes of the first half remaining Michael Fernandes burst through the back four. He rounded the keeper and looked certain to score. However, as he drew back his boot to pass the ball into the net a defender made an excellent sliding tackle thus denying him the chance to double Marine’s lead.

Three minutes into the second half Luke Purnell was forced into a sharp save in the midst of a goal mouth scramble. Then on fifty-four minutes Michael Fernandes shot across goal was saved by the outstretched foot of the away team’s keeper.

From the resultant corner Ioan Richards turned sharply in the vicinity of the penalty spot. His effort seemed destined for goal, but he was denied by another excellent save by Winchester’s Luke Cairney keeping it out with his outstretched foot and the ball then rolled agonisingly across the face of the goal and cleared.

Jamie Edge played a pivotal roll in front of the defence
Image from Alex White Photography

There was a race between keeper and Harry Williams to get the crucial next touch. The keeper won and pushed the ball clear. The Marine forward was cautioned following the resultant coming together. In the present climate one can see why a yellow card was shown. However, most supporters would want their striker to make a determined effort to get on the end of a loose ball trickling along the goal line.

In the fifty-eighth minute a foul by Joshua McCormack on the edge of the Marine area saw the visiting player cautioned. The free kick was eighteen yards out and on the left-hand corner of the box. A three-man wall was set up.

Michael Fernandes took a few steps back and drove his effort between the second and third player in the wall. The wall parted obligingly, and the ball took the slightest of deflections. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred Luke Cairney would have easily gathered the effort. On this occasion he fumbled and Harry Williams tapped the loose ball into the back of the net. A good ‘sniffers’ finish.

Winchester keeper Luke Cairney spills a Fernandes free kick and Harry Williams toe pokes the ball home
Image from Alex White Photography

With twenty-one minutes of the second half gone Dave Sims-Burgess burst down the right flank and into the penalty area. It was a one-on-one with the keeper. He tried to dink the ball over him but Luke Cairney produced an excellent save.

The remainder of the match in all honesty became a bit scrappy. Winchester attacked with lots of energy but struggled to break through a resolute Marine defence. Ioan Richards and Liam Angel were exceptionally effective in snuffing out the threat of Winchester’s Tommy Wright. Whilst I K Hill who had, in all honesty, given Marine a bit of a torrid time in the FA Trophy match was nullified by right back Sam Turl.

Harry celebrates his goal with his teammates
Image from Alex White Photography

In the first minute of second half additional time Marine had their first real lapse of concentration. A short corner was not effectively marshalled, and I K Hill saw a powerful effort well saved by Luke Purnell in the Marine goal.

This was a good Marine win built on resolute defending, tenacity and energy in midfield, and hard work by the front players. Dave Sims-Burgess and Harry Williams chased, harried, and defended from the front with zeal. A particularly pleasing statistic arising from this match is that Marine have in their first eleven league matches kept as many clean sheets as they did in the whole of last season.

The positive nature of this Marine victory was summed up in the following post-match comments from Marine’s assistant manager Dan Gillespie: “….We had to show a bit of grit tonight – it probably wasn’t pretty at times but the conditions made it a little bit tricky…I don’t really think they caused us too many issues defensively…we kept that clean sheet with Sam Turl making a last ditch block in the sixth minute of added time….credit to the lads tonight they put in a real shift – six points out of the last two games and two clean sheets on the spin is excellent.”

This was a performance the Marine players and management should be proud of - they showed character, tenacity, and dug deep.

Come on Marine! Winchester Star Man: Luke Cairney
Marine Star Man: Liban Ibrahim
Attendance: 215

Ryan Campbell’s prematch presentation for passing 300 games for Marine
Image from Alex White Photography

Line Ups

SWINDON SUPERMARINE
Head Coach: Stuart Fleetwood
Colours: Blue & White Hoops
Line-up: 1. Luke Purnell 2. Sam Turl 3. Ryan Campbell 4. Liam Angel 5.Ioan Richards 6. Jamie Edge (20.Nick Peare 87’) 7. Anton Dworzak (14.Zack Kotwica 50’) 8. Liban Ibrahim 9. Dave Sims-Burgess 58’ 10. Michael Fernandes 11. Harry Williams (14.Olly Mehew 83’) )
Subs not used: 12. Jake Lee, 13. Dan Brabham
Goalscorers: Ioan Richards 21’ Harry Williams 65’
Cards:
Anton Dworzak 12’, Harry Williams 55’, Dave Sims-Burgess 90’
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WINCHESTER CITY
Manager: Craig Davis
Colours: Red & Black
Line-up: 1. Luke Cairney 2. Josh McCormick 3. Callum Berkley **4.*Oliver Griggs 5. Alex Wilkie 6. Harry Nevins 7. Trevor Caborn (17. Simba Mlambo 67’) 8. Jamie Barron (c) 9. Tommy Wright 10. Dan Kones 11. I K Hill
Subs Not Used: 14. Luka Chalwell, 15. Siphesihie Mdlalose, 16. George Britton
Goalscorers: None
Cards:
Josh McCormick 76’, Oliver Griggs 76’
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Match Gallery

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Courtesy of Alex White Photography

Post Match Team Sheet

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Courtesy of Southern Football League

Match Officials

Referee: Craig Davenport
Assistant Referees: Isaac Blakey, Sam Lomas