MERLEY COBHAM SPORTS 2

BALTI SPORTS 0

RESILIENT Balti Sports were finally seen off by an Asa Phillips double as Merley Cobham Sports took a 2-0 win to move top of the Dorset Premier League table.

Balti were without a number of key men for the clash, including first-choice midfield trio Ethan Devaney, Charlie Kenderdine and Sammy Nicholls plus striker Ricky Lane.

In what was a contest of third versus fourth prior to kick-off, under-strength Balti battled their way to 0-0 at half-time against a billowing wind and a dominant Merley attack who found their opponents in superb defensive form.

Patched-up Balti, who could only name 12 players in their matchday squad, prevented Merley, who have now scored 111 goals in the league season, from scoring for over an hour.

Balti’s Liam O’Shaughnessy came closest to breaking the deadlock early in the second half, running through one-on-one and narrowly slotting wide of the target.

As the game opened up, Merley missed two half-chances while Balti’s Sean Zima aimed wide with an ambitious lob.

However, a moment of controversy unhinged the Balti rearguard as goalkeeper Andy Nott claimed a foul in punching clear a cross only as far as Phillips who blasted a sweet 25-yard volley into the top corner.

As Balti continued to tire, the Weymouth side could not clear the danger from a late Merley attack and Phillips punished them, tapping home to send the hosts top.

Speaking to Echosport, Balti boss Marco Nott expressed the pride he felt in his spirited troops.

He said: “It was one of the proudest first-half displays I’ve ever seen at Balti. We were really down to the bare bones and we went with a lad who’s retired, Jason Pearce, and a reserve player to make up 12.

“We were always up against it and it was a really good, hard-fought game. They applied a lot of pressure and deserved to win the game.

“We went against the wind first half and we really frustrated them, we defended superbly with my brother Andy in goal as well.

“They were all over us, don’t get me wrong, but I thought to come into half-time at 0-0 was outstanding.

“Unfortunately we just lost our legs in the last 15, 20 minutes. We took the game to the hour mark and felt a bit hard done by, really.

“Andy punched the ball and was challenged by a striker which you’d normally see a foul for. It’s a possible foul, nine times out of 10 they’re given as a free-kick but the referee had a good game in general.”

Balti: A Nott, R Walker, S Walker, Anderson, L Taylor, Smith, McClements, Dovell, Zima, O’Shaughnessy (Pearce 70), Andrews.