Magpies: Dorchester ship four in Harrow horror

DORCHESTER Town slid to a second Evo-Stik Southern Premier South loss in five days after their 10 men were beaten 4-1 by Harrow Borough at Earlsmead.

In a disastrous start for the visitors, Boro led 3-0 after 23 minutes thanks to strikes from Ryan Moss, Anthony O’Connor and a Callum Rose own goal.

Luke Winsper scored his sixth goal of the season four minutes into the second half but keeper Alhaji Sesay was sent off for kicking an opponent in retaliation before home sub Dylan Kearney rounded makeshift gloveman Rose to complete a comfortable victory.

Dorchester, who before kick-off had taken seven points from away fixtures this season – two more than at home – made one change to the starting line-up that began the 2-1 loss to Taunton on Tuesday.

Billy Lowes dropped to the bench for Diaz, who completed his move from rivals Weymouth on Friday.

Goalkeeper Sesay started on his final appearance before his loan from Bristol City expires.

Callum Thompson and Josh Williams missed out from the Magpies’ matchday squad altogether, enabling Lowes to be joined by the returning Kyle Egan, the right-back having missed the Taunton defeat for personal reasons.

Michael Edgar, Dom Panesar-Dower and Ash Pope were Dorchester’s other substitutes.

Steve Thompson’s men made a positive start, carving out the first opportunity from a short corner supplied to Winsper, who fired wide of the target after two minutes.

However, disaster was to strike as Dorchester conceded three times in 10 minutes.

Forward Moss was the first Harrow player to score, latching onto a precise ball over the top before dinking a finish over the advancing Sesay.

Three minutes later, mayhem in the Magpies’ box led to a second as the visitors failed to clear their lines from a set-piece and, after a session of pinball, O’Connor poked home to double the Reds’ advantage.

Winsper then wasted another fine chance when a ball forward took a slight deflection into the midfielder’s path, only to shoot straight at home keeper Hafed Al-Droubi when well-placed to score.

Dorchester’s defence was reshuffled in the 21st minute when centre-back Ross Carmichael, who had limped out after 78 minutes of the Taunton game, was replaced by Egan in a tactical change that saw Josh Bailey move to centre-back.

Egan’s introduction did little to stem the tide of goals as Harrow grabbed a third in fortuitous circumstances when Rose, six yards out and facing his own goal, deflected a cross from out wide into the net past the unfortunate Sesay.

Having created little during the half, Dorchester saw another glimpse of the Harrow goal evaporate just before half-time when a Tom Blair free-kick picked out the unmarked Rose, only for the centre-back to hoist his effort over the bar.

Needing a positive start after the resumption, Dorchester were in luck as the county side cut the deficit to two goals moments after Blair shot wide.

A fine move culminated in Diaz wandering through one-on-one and the Spaniard unselfishly squared for Winsper to tap home into the empty net for 3-1.

Thompson then rolled the dice with two attacking substitutions, replacing Blair and left-back Neil Martin with Lowes and Pope respectively.

His changes nearly yielded a second goal when Pope was supplied by a clever pass from the otherwise quiet Cameron Murray, but the former Bournemouth striker could only shoot directly at Al-Droubi, who clung on.

Dorchester’s chances of clawing a way back into the game were scuppered when goalkeeper Sesay picked up a second red card in his one-month spell, kicking out after allegedly being kicked himself.

Rose donned the goalkeeper’s shirt and gloves but was powerless to prevent a fourth.

With Dorchester out in force to claim a second goal, they were stung on the counter attack when Borough worked a one-on-one situation for substitute Kearney, from which the Harrow man comfortably beat Rose.

Victory sealed Harrow’s first home win of the season as they rose to seventh, while Dorchester dropped to 17th ahead of Saturday’s trip to in-form Yate Town in the FA Trophy.

Harrow: Al-Droubi, Moore, Haugh, Preddie, Fenton, Gough, Keita, O’Connor (Kearney 71), Moss (Brown 84), Bryan, Cole (McLeod 84).

Sub not used: Pearce

Magpies: Sesay, Bailey, Martin (Pope 71), Rose, Carmichael (Egan 21), Kite, Murray, Winsper, Blair (Lowes 64), Diaz, Rodriguez.

Subs not used: Edgar, Panesar-Dower

Referee: Johnathan Creswick

Attendance: 132

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