Boatmen sink sloppy Magpies in Red Insure Cup thriller (From Bournemouth Echo)

Boatmen sink sloppy Magpies in Red Insure Cup thriller

11:27pm Wednesday 9th January 2013 in Non league football By Neil Perrett

BOSS Steve Cuss was left to rue some errant defending as Wimborne Town bowed out of the Red Insure Cup following a topsy-turvy third round clash at Sholing tonight.

Magpies twice fought back from a two-goal deficit and looked destined to take the tie into extra-time after Micky Hubbard had netted a late penalty to make it 3-3.

However, Lewis Fennemore’s injury-time clincher was a dagger through the heart for the visitors as the Boatmen sealed victory at the death.

But while Fennemore’s strike may have ultimately settled the issue in the hosts’ favour, Wimborne had earlier contributed to their own downfall.

Sholing netted twice inside three first-half minutes with defender Jordan Cole and goalkeeper Dan Ackerman both culpable as goals from Jamie Musselwhite and Barry Mason put them in the driving seat.

Wimborne halved the deficit in controversial fashion when Matt Kemble applied a neat finish to an Aidan Sainsbury pass – after referee Andrew Dine had unwittingly played a part in the build up by getting in the way of a pass from Fennemore, allowing Magpies to mount a swift counter-attack.

Lee Webber’s smart save denied Kemble an equaliser on the stroke of half-time before Magpies were unable to force the ball home during a frantic goalmouth scramble.

Scott Arnold’s miraculous goalline clearance denied Charlie Smeeton a third before Musselwhite’s stunning strike after 67 minutes restored Sholing’s two-goal lead and again left Wimborne starring down the barrel.

However, Kemble’s wondrous effort after 79 minutes, an arrow-like volley from 30 yards that whistled past Webber, set up a grandstand finish with Hubbard converting confidently from the spot seven minutes from time.

Skipper Arnold went close to firing Magpies ahead when his ferocious strike flashed past the woodwork before Fennemore forced the ball home from close range after Wimborne had failed to clear a corner in the dying seconds.

Cuss said: “It is never easy to take defeat in injury-time but I have got to give credit to the players. We were trailing by two goals on two occasions and showed character to get back into it. And we nearly won it before they did.

“We have been working hard on defending and being stronger and harder to beat so we were probably disappointed with that tonight, particularly in the first half. “I thought they got in behind us a little too easily. The two goals we conceded were poor and that gave us a mountain to climb. Although we got back into it, that was probably what cost us the result.”

Magpies: Ackerman, Arnold, Cole (Peprah-Annan, 90), Costello, Maybury, Blake, Sainsbury, Hubbard, Kemble, Smith, Webb (Davidson, 68). Unused subs: Roast, Brian, Harvell (g/k).