Roy O'Brien challenges
DORCHESTER TOWN
1	Darren Behcet
2	Mark Jermyn
3	Jake Smeaton		79
4	Roy O'Brien
5	Alex Browne
6	Nathan Peprah Annan
7	James Rowe		46
8	Jamie Gleeson		46
9	Elliot Bent
10	Jon Docker
11	Charlie Henry
Substitutes
12	Mark Robinson		46
14	Matt Groves		79
15	Ivan Forbes		46
16	Jones Awuah
17	Simon Evans
.
LEWES
1	Steve Williams
2	Jay Conroy
3	Anthony Barness
4	Simon Wormull		79
5	Steve Robinson
6	Ian Simpemba
7	Andy Drury
8	Gary Holloway
9	Ian Selley
10	Paul Booth		79
11	Dale Binns
Substitutes
12	Jamie Cade
14	Paul Kennett
15	Leon Legge
16	Kirk Watts		79
17	Craig O'Connor		79
.
Referee
John Wheeler
.

Saturday 18th August 2007
		Dorchester Town	1
		Henry 29
		Lewes	3
		Booth pens 41, 60, O'Connor 82

Rooks punish the Magpies

by Adam Summers

Poor defending cost Dorchester in this eventful Blue Square South clash at the Avenue Stadium on Saturday, which included two penalties and three red cards.

A dull opening to the game was forgotten when Charlie Henry opened the scoring for the hosts on 28 minutes but just before the break a rash challenge by skipper Alex Browne enabled Paul Booth to level from the spot.

Dale Binns was then sent-off for violent conduct in the second half for the visitors who moments later took the lead with another spot-kick from Booth, this time after substitute Ivan Gomes-Forbes had upended Jay Conroy.

Substitute Craig O'Connor then came on and made it 3-1 before a farcical ending to the game saw Dorchester's Nathaniel Peprah-Annan and Lewes' Gary Holloway also get dismissed.

Holloway's dismissal seemed a case of mistaken identity and referee Jon Wheeler was certainly not a popular figure among both sets of fans at the end of the game.

The Magpies included new loan-signing Darren Behcet in their side. The Yeovil Town keeper, who has signed until the end of the season, replaced Simon Evans.

The only other change in the Magpies' starting XI saw Elliot Bent grab his first competitive start, taking the place of Hardy Pinto-Moreira. Fellow Portuguese star Gomes-Forbes was included on the bench.

Due to Lewes encountering traffic on their trip down to Dorchester the game kicked off at 3.33pm and the delay seemed to have an effect on the proceedings which endured a scrappy opening.

The hosts kept possession better and on the couple of occasions when they shifted the ball quickly and played at a high tempo they looked threatening.

In comparison Lewes were a lot more direct.

Simon Wormull had the opening effort of the game, blazing wide for the visitors from 30 yards but even by the 15-minute mark neither side had really settled.

The constant rain that swept across the pitch did not help the spectacle but on 25 minutes the action did liven up a bit.

Behcet got caught in no-man's-land when trying to deal with a cross into the box from a free-kick and that handed a half chance to Booth but his 15-yard effort through a crowd of players was deflected over the bar.

That seemed to lift the game and three minutes later Town took the lead. A fortunate break of the ball allowed Jon Docker to advance towards the Lewes area and when the ball arrived at the feet of James Rowe and he struck a post, Henry was on hand to slot home the rebound.

The Magpies looked comfortable but then five minutes before the break Browne made a needless challenge in the box and upended Andrew Drury for a stonewall penalty. Booth stepped up and sent his 41st minute spot-kick past Behcet, who dived the wrong way.

At the start of the second half Dorchester boss Shaun Brooks made two changes, bringing on Gomes-Forbes and Mark Robinson for Rowe and Jamie Gleeson.

Wormull had a long-range drive comfortably saved by Behcet before the game ignited on 55 minutes when Binns sent an elbow towards Henry, during a tussle at a throw-in.

The Dorchester man reacted by theatrically throwing himself on the deck and Wheeler, after a chat with one of assistants, decided to show Binns the red card.

Booth was also booked for dissent in the aftermath but strangely it was Dorchester who fell asleep moments later when Gomes-Forbes was judged to have brought down Jay Conroy for a second penalty on the hour. This time Booth lifted the ball high into the roof of the net.

The Magpies could have gone even further behind seconds later when Drury let fly from 25 yards but Behcet came to the rescue with a fantastic tip over the top.

The impressive Docker responded with two unsuccessful shots from distance and Henry had an effort comfortably caught by keeper Steve Williams as Town began to commit more men forward but they continued to lack ideas.

On 79 minutes striker Matt Groves replaced defender Jake Smeeton but two minutes later the visitors killed the game by grabbing a third.

Drury broke down the right and former Terra O'Connor met the cross with a close-range diving header before celebrating with a couple of somersaults.

To make matters even worse for Town they had Peprah-Annan sent-off with six minutes remaining after he picked up two bookings in the space of 30 seconds.

It was clear that Wheeler had lost control of the game and with two minutes remaining after a long consultation with both his assistants he bizarrely showed a straight red card to Holloway, who had already been booked.

Everyone was stunned by the decision and could only come to the conclusion that the referee had got the wrong man as Lewes captain Stephen Robinson did seem to raise his hands in a tussle with Henry just before the whistle was blown.