Sholing2 0Lymington

Scorers :  Dan Mason 24, Alex Sawyer 25

Date: Saturday 20th October 2018 - 3pm - Sydenhams Wessex Premier

Venue: Universal Stadium

Match Sponsor: EmeraldMotorShirtLogo1

Sholing: Ryan Gosney, TJ Cuthbertson, Marv McLean, Pete Castle, Jamie Bulpitt, Alex Sawyer (Jack Smith 67), Byron Mason [c], Dan Mason, Lee Wort, Bradley Targett (Jake Hoole 72).  Unused Subs : Owen Royl, Owen Roundell, Kevin Brewster

Yellow Cards: Alex Sawyer, TJ Cuthbertson

Lymington Town: Nic Jones, Callum Davies [c], Tom Man (Cameron Barnes 54), Zak Pickett, Luke Ansell, Elliot Cross, Ashley Jarvis, Lewis Ross, Charlie Willett, Scott Walters, Mike Gosney.  Unused subs: Peirce McMamara, Mitchell Wood, Tim Stephenson, Henry Newman

Yellow Cards: Luke Ansell

Attendance: 132

Referee: Stuart Carter  Assistants: Peter Carr & Rob Harrison

Sholing maintained their 100% league record thanks to two goals in a minute in the first half. Dan Mason's 22nd goal of the season was immediately followed by Alex Sawyer tapping in as Sholing controlled the game throughout.

Team News : Dan Miller overcame a bit of illness before the game to start the match as Dave Diaper had a full squad to pick from against a Lymington side that had a few familiar faces.

With the Sholing U8 Whites being matchday mascots, the game got underway in bright sunshine in lovely warm conditions. It was an end to end start to the match, with the Boatmen creating the first opportunity on 12 minutes when Sawyer crossed from the right to Dan Mason, but on the stretch in front of goal, the ball spun off his boot and just wide.  Dan went even closer on 19 mins as he flicked a near post header from a corner, against the crossbar.  In the follow-up, Brad Targett climbed well, but planted his header wide.

Then came both goals in the space of a minute.  Sholing were testing the Lymington offside trap with a few close calls, but on 24 minutes, TJ slotted the ball through for DAN MASON, who had bent his run to stay onside and D-Dan advanced before firing the ball past the keeper and into the corner.  Straight from the restart, Sholing won possession and Brad Targett burst down the left wing and put over a peach of a cross for the arriving ALEX SAWYER to unmarked, side foot in from 6 yards.

Lymington forced a couple of corners, but they were all comfortably dealt with, before the Gosney brothers faced up at a freekick 25 yards out.  Mike Gosney took it, but his effort was always going wide of Ryan's goal.  The pace of Lee Wort & Brad Targett were causing the visitors problems as both got in behind chasing balls over the top.  Lee Wort cheekily lifted the ball over the keeper as he advanced and ran round him, but a defender had got back to make the block as Wort was about to score.  Targett fired a shot wide and then it opened up for TJ on the overlap to try his luck with an effort that was saved by Jones.  HT 2-0

Byron was winning most things in the air and his flick-on after the restart freed Lee Wort to run down the right channel and pick out Dan Mason in the middle, but a good block by a defender denied the striker.  Lymington had a decent spell of possession, but despite working a couple of openings, the final ball or shot were always off target.

On 63 minutes, Brad Targett went close to scoring as he collected the ball on the left corner of the area, checked back past his marker to create space, but his curling effort just went past the post.  Following a Sholing corner, there was a scramble in the 6 yard box with the ball, freakishly spinning off Lee Wort's boot and almost in slow motion, it somehow spun over the bar.  

With Lymington still unable to force Gosney into any kind of save, the result of the game seemed pretty certain even with 15 mins to go and it appeared the crowd were waiting for the Boatmen to score again.  They went close in the dying minutes as Dan Mason ran across the edge of the box, worked some space and hit a cross shot that went inches wide.  Then a freekick by TJ, 25 yards out, was drilled in low past the wall and somehow evaded both Dan Mason & Pete Castle as they ran in on it.

All in all, a controlled performance by Sholing against a Lymington side that are probably better than their current league position would indicate.  It was the Boatmen's 7th win in a row and they haven't conceded a goal for 480 minutes.  FT 2-0

Next Game :  Sholing v Cowes Sports - Saturday 27 October 3pm - Wessex Premier

Photos by Ray Routledge (click an image to enlarge)

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