Pitching In Southern League, Premier Division South
Wimborne Town v Tiverton Town
Tuesday, October 15 . The Wyatt Homes Stadium . 7.45pm
FOR the second of two away games that follow hot on the heels of each other, the Yellows will be tasked with trying to avenge their Emirates FA Cup loss against Wimborne under the lights at 7.45pm in Dorset. With Saturday's deflating defeat at Swindon Supermarine fresh in the mind, something special will be required to turn the tables on this evening's opponents.
Tiverton can draw on the last midweek game on away soil for inspiration. The win against Frome sparked a mini revival but, unfortunately, the accumulation of two league wins was cancelled out by two league losses.
Since their FA Cup success, the Magpies have had what can best be described as a mixed bag of results, edging out Hungerford in the game they played next, then losing 4-0 at promotion-chasing Totton before losing 2-0 at the New Cuthbert to Weston-super-Mare, in the next round of the FA Cup. They drew with our victors on Saturday, Supermarine, and won against Gosport before replicating our 6-0 reverse to Merthyr in South Wales.
The last time our hosts were in action was 10 days ago, when, like us, they were eliminated in a penalty shootout in the FA Trophy, Gloucester City prevailing that afternoon.
Much has been made of injuries to key members of the squad and that does make things more difficult although Dorchester had four regulars out and found a way against us in the Trophy and Gloucester were also not at full strength when beating us.
Out of adversity, players can often find something extra and let’s hope this will be the case.
Tor Swann is building up his match fitness with a couple of substitute appearances in recent games, but the game is likely to be too soon for the players that were ruled out at the weekend. Oli Jenkins picked up a bit of a knock at Swindon and is a doubt this evening, so others from the squad will come into contention.
Former EFL forward Tim Sills will be once again the man in charge of Wimborne, and the side that are positioned bang smack in the middle of the table in 11th place will have their sights on a top-half-of-the-table finish after being newly promoted. In showing themselves to be a good footballing side when they played us, there is a fair amount of Southern Premier League South experience at Sills disposal.
Josh Carmichael, once of Bournemouth, is a creative technical midfielder, carving out an impressive non-League career in the colours of Torquay, Weymouth and Poole, to name a few, and, along with fellow midfielders Jez Bedford and Matt Neale, controlled possession at the Ian Moorcroft Stadium.
Winger Matty Burrows was a constant menace in that game and Will Fletcher, often a back-up striker in his days at Poole and Dorchester, has profited from regular football with Wimborne and his partnership with Cameron Munn is worth double-figures in goals. With Harry Baker also providing a strong forward option, the Magpies have depth when it comes to attacking players.
Veteran 40-year-old ’keeper Ross Flitney, who enjoyed an EFL career with Barnet and Gillingham before being a top class performer for Conference and National League side Eastleigh over many a season, will bring invaluable experience to the side. With ex-Poole centre-back Harvey Wright in front of him, there is a strong backbone to Sills’ team.
Tivvy manager Leigh Robinson will have had much to consider with his team selection this evening and, along with assistant Ben Gerring, will be looking for a response from his side.
The Yellows will need to be professional and tighten up in all areas if they are to achieve a much-needed win against the odds. It will not be easy but it is not an impossible outcome, either.
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