MATCH REPORT: Wimborne Town 1-1 Evesham United

On a wet and windy afternoon at the Wyatt Homes Stadium the points were shared after Joe Smith’s second half header cancelled out Awadh’s early opener.

Manager Tim Sills made two changes from Saturday’s FA Cup win over Bath City, with Scorey and Munn coming in for the absent Eccott-Young and the injured Yang.

Earlier in the day Wimborne announced the double signing of AFC Bournemouth and Aston Villa academy product Ajani Burchall and young midfielder Antoine Atmadjov, who both took their place on the bench.

With the rain slowing as kick off came, it was the visitors who started the better of the sides, a low effort skidding along the surface to test Plain diving low to his right with two minutes on the clock.

The visitors wouldn’t have to wait long for the opener, which came just five minutes in. An in-swinging corner wasn’t dealt with by Plain, the greasy ball dropping to the impressive Awadh who forced the ball in from close range.

The Magpies start to the game then went from bad to worse as Joe Ryan appeared to tweak a muscle whilst skipping past his opposite number, enforcing the first substitution of the day just 11 minutes in; on came Alex Borges for his first long minutes of the season.

Wimborne began to settle and create some chances, with Jackson and Walker heading over, and Munn slipping when trying to connect with Williams pull back from the by-line.

The visitors were looking dangerous on the counter, with Walker doing brilliantly to make a last-ditch block, and a powerful run down the right wing ending with a cut-back to trickle just wide of Plain’s far post.

A stop-start half came to an end, where everything just felt all a bit flat – surely things could only get better in the second period of the game.

As the sun threatened to poke through the clouds, The Magpies began to threaten too. Starting the half fast, Fletcher wasn’t quite able to turn home his header from Carmichael’s lifted free kick. Carmichael then went close two minutes later with a rasping effort from the edge of the box.

The home fans were then left scratching their heads to not see their side level. A loose ball was controlled by Fletcher close to the goal, who rounded the keeper before a combination of two Evesham defenders made a brilliant goal line block.

The Magpies had their tails up and just past the hour mark Williams cut in from the left and fired a curling effort, only to see it clip behind off the outside of the post.

In search of an equaliser Sills went two up top, sending on Joe Smith to partner Will Fletcher. Then, at last, the goal did come. Borges, who was having a good game, collected the ball on the right, before delivering a fantastic outside-of-the-boot cross, Smith gambling and making the run to beat the keeper and guide his header home.

The Magpies pushed for a winner, most notably when Smith fired narrowly wide on the break after an Evesham free kick on the edge of the box was blocked.

After five minutes of injury time the whistle was blown and the points were shared. To paraphrase a well-used football cliche, Wimborne’s performance was one of two halves; the first flat and the second dominant.

However, with two home games in the coming week, Sills said that this was one that was important not to lose. Tim’s squad will look to recover, and should be boosted by the timely return of Max Bustamante, with Plymouth Parkway visiting on Tuesday and Worthing in the FA Cup next Saturday.

Plain; Scorey (Smith 68’), Walker, Roundell, Jackson; Munn (Roberts 62’), McQuoid, Carmichael; Ryan (Borges 11’), Williams, Fletcher.

Unused subs: Atmadjov, Burchall.