Merley Cobham Sports 2 v 1 Wimborne Town Reserves

Saturday 13th August 2022, Kick-off 15.00
Dorset Premier League
Cobham Sports & Social Club, Wimborne
Admission including Programme: £5.00
Attendance: 75 (rough headcount)

With rail strikes affecting several train companies, options of where to head for were limited and I decided to play it safe today and stick to the Southern and South West Railway networks, and with searingly hot temperatures into the thirties forecast for today, I decided it would be prudent to stay relatively close to the south coast. I had actually chosen to  visit Wimborne Town's New Cuthbury stadium, but then I noticed that nearby Merley Cobham Sports would also be at home, and I reasoned that a rural ground like theirs would look at its best on a hot summer's day, and that New Cuthbury  could be saved for a more inclement day to come. The promise of a printer programme at Merley was enough to seal the deal for me to settle for there.

I had planned to arrive at the Merley Sports & Social Club in plenty of time to make the most of what was apparently an excellent looking bar and outdoor area to enjoy a few drinks. However, a delayed train into Southampton meant that i missed my connecting train onto Bournemouth, and then on arrival at Bournemouth, the one bus an hour towards Wimborne was severely delayed and I ended up waiting about an hour for it. Just as well I had allowed plenty of time then, and with a 40 minute bus ride and then ten minute walk from the nearest bus stop, I arrived about twenty minutes ahead of kick off. The Cobham Sports & Social Club hosts a spacious, impressive and immaculately maintained range of sporting facilities, and the wall by the entrance gate is adorned with eye catching club signage, with a straight tarmac lane leading visitors from the entrance gate and eventually along one length of the pitch and into a couple of car parks. A couple of virtually identical stands straddle the half way line alongside the lane, covering flat space inside apart with a few individual chairs, and with dugouts installed either side. The pitch is railed almost all the way around, although there is no hard standing nor floodlights present. Behind one end is a brick building housing the changing rooms, and towards the corner there is a collection of other buildings, a tall brick containing squash courts, and smaller buildings hosting the clubhouse facilities and after entering, visitors pass by a couple of bowling alleys before reaching a very attractive bar area, along with various other hospitality rooms. Drinks, along with a full range of meals, can be enjoyed on a very pleasant decked area with cover outside. Beyond the remaining length there is practice pitch space, which is lined with a tall row of trees, and behind that is a golf course. Behind the clubhouse and changing room buildings there is a pétanque court, which was in full swing today, while behind the football stands and across the tarmac lane, there is a miniature railway, which was not open today. It was indeed a very nice venue to enjoy a hot summers day out at - rural, tranquil, with excellent facilities and enough places to seek shelter from the intense sunshine today. As well as a programme, line-ups were also written up on a whiteboard attached to the changing rooms building.

Today saw the opening fixtures of this season's Dorset Premier League. Merley Cobham Sports have usually been up near the top of the table in recent seasons, and last season was no different, finishing in second place following 27 wins and 3 draws from their 34 league games, although they did finish 13 points adrift of champions Hamworthy Recreation, who gained promotion to the Wessex League for this season. Today's opponents would be something of a unknown quantity, as Wimborne Town Reserves are new to the league, having transferred from the world of reserve team football in the Hampshire Combination & Development League, where they finished in second place last season.

Both teams deserve a lot of credit for playing at a good tempo despite the very hot conditions, but it was the home side who opened the scoring on 16 minutes when a corner was headed home from close range by Ogun Gundogdu. And they doubled their lead on 26 minutes, when George Coleman cut in from the right, wrong footed a couple of defenders before drilling the ball from just inside the area inside the near post and into the net. But the visitors pulled a goal back on 32 minutes with what was certainly the goal of the game by Heath Thornton, a superb volley from the edge of the area that flew into the top right corner, beyond the keeper's outstretched palms. Wimborne came close to equalising in first half added on time when a powerfully struck free kick was parried by the keeper, and the rebound was blazed over the bar, although the linesman raised his flag for offside anyway.

Within a minute of the restart, it seemed that Merley had restored their two goal lead when, following a throw in, the ball ended up at the feet of a Merley player just inside the penalty area to drill the ball home, but the linesman raised his flag, and after a lengthy debate, the referee disallowed the goal. For the reminder of the game, both sides created chances to score again, and although Wimborne probably created slightly more, it was Merley who held on to start their season off with a three point haul. There was plenty to be positive in the Wimborne Town camp though, as apparently the team consisted entirely of players under the age of 18, apart from a 22 year old, and the way they matched their much more experienced opponents offers plenty of hope for the future.