MATCH PREVIEW: Gloucester City vs Wimborne Town

Wimborne Town FC | 19 February 2026 | Copy link
Away days don’t come much tougher than a long-distance trip to face a team targeting promotion who have won twelve and drawn two of their fifteen league games on their own 3G pitch.

 

After finishing fourth last season, Gloucester lost at Totton in the play-off final by the only goal of the game. The Tigers subsequently changed manager in May and brought back 32-year old Dafydd Williams, Assistant Manager at Newport. He had previously been Assistant Manager at Gloucester. And what a good job the new boss and his squad are doing in this campaign as The Tigers currently sit third with a W17 D7 L6 GF 65 GA 41 record. That goals for figure is the joint-second best in the division behind Walton & Hersham. And one hundred and six goals in thirty league matches is exciting fare for spectators who turn up in large numbers.

 

Since losing 2-0 at Walton & Hersham on 27th January, Gloucester have drawn 1-1 at 5th-placed Sholing, defeated in-form Weymouth 3-1 at home, won 2-0 at 6th-placed Gosport, and drawn 2-2 at 7th-placed Chertsey. As a result, they top the current form table. In case you were wondering, that single home league defeat was inflicted by Farnham in November.

 

Manager Williams has a fine array of attacking options to call on including Kane Simpson, who was at Merthyr last season, King Baidoo, and Kieran Phillips, and midfielders Joe Hanks, who bagged a brace at Chertsey in their last game, Harry Pinchard and Elis Watts, who both scored in the reverse fixture at The Wyatt Homes Stadium, and Marcus Day, who always seems to play well against us.

 

After that first win in eleven league games over Hanwell last Saturday, with goals from Josh Carmichael, Will Fletcher and skipper Sam Jackson, and a clean sheet, Wimborne are sitting 11th with a W9 D10 L7 GF 40 GA 31 record. Although the stats on the road aren’t too impressive (W2 D4 L6), when we dig a little deeper into those results, there aren’t merely crumbs of comfort, there are tasty morsels. We’ve already visited three of the teams in the division’s top six: by all accounts we deserved something at runaway leaders Walton & Hersham rather than that 1-0 loss; at fourth-placed Farnham the boys were denied a back-to-the-walls victory by a dubious 96th minute penalty; and on a surprisingly waterlogged 3G surface at Gosport we were unfortunate to lose by the only goal of the game. And who can forget that dominant display at Dorchester when Tim’s team overcame the other Dorset Magpies 2-0 on their 3G.

 

Sam Roberts was in fine form on his return to the starting XI on Saturday, and Fletch has scored in our last two games. In this injury-ravaged season, Manager Sills may at last have options as he decides on his team for our third-ever visit to Gloucester.

 

Last season was the first time the two teams had played each other – Gloucester winning by the only goal of the game at Sudmeadow Road, when keeper Thompson brought off an acrobatic save to keep out Matt Neale’s 93rd minute free-kick; then knocking Wimborne out of the FA Trophy on penalties (8-7) after a 2-2 draw, also at home; before Wimborne bagged a 1-1 draw at New Cuthbury thanks to a late, late goal by skipper Sam Jackson – I expect we can all remember the look of delight on his face captured in Steve Harris’s brilliant photo.

 

This season’s reverse fixture was at the end of November when goals by Max Bustamante and Josh Carmichael gave The Magpies a 2-0 half-time lead, only for Elis Watts to pull one back for The Tigers before Harry Pinchard equalised from the penalty spot on 92 minutes.

 

Given league positions and recent form, Gloucester will start as massive favourites on Saturday. Fixtures between the two teams have been full of flowing football, goalmouth excitement, and late drama. Don’t be surprised if this one is the same. COYM!

 

Match Info:

  • Venue: KMM Energy Stadium, Sudmeadow Road, Gloucester GL2 5HD               approx 120 miles
  • Average attendance: 1187 – over 300 higher than the rest of this division.
  • Admission: online / gate: adults £13 / £16; concessions £10 / £12, youths & students £7 / £8; U12s free with adult; family online £30 (2 adults, 2 U18s).
  • There are seats available on the team coach - contact Paula if you're interested.
  • A printed programme will be on sale.
  • Weather Forecast: Cloudy; 12oC; 60% chance of rain.