Dan Thomas
DORCHESTER TOWN
1	Dan Thomas
2	Kyle Critchell
3	Jake Smeeton
4	Mark Jermyn
5	Nathan Walker
6	Doug Bergqvist
7	James Coutts		33
8	Neil Martin
9	Ryan Moss
10	Chris Flood
11	Steve Devlin
Substitutes
12	Nick Crittenden		33
14	Ashley Vickers
15	Lee White
17	Regan Coward
BROMLEY
1	Craig Holloway
2	David Graves
3	Arron Fray		58
4	Liam Harwood
5	Jerry Nnamani
6	Salifou Ibrahima		60
7	Courtney Harris		46
8	Harry Harding
9	Leon McKenzie
10	Charlie Ide
11	Tony Finn
Substitutes
12	Wes Daly		46
14	Jamie England		60
15	Warren McBean
16	Elliott Jones
17	Peter Wedgeworth		58
REFEREE
A. Bromley (Plymouth)

Saturday 19th February 2011
		Dorchester Town	0
		Bromley	0

Dan to the rescue for Magpies

by Ky Capel

A stunning save from Dan Thomas deep in stoppage time helped stretch Dorchester Town’s unbeaten run to five games.

Defeat would certainly have been harsh on the Magpies, who were the better side for much of the encounter, but the on-loan keeper had to be at his very best in the 93rd minute to tip a Charlie Ide strike on to the far post.

The fine stop also secured a third successive clean sheet for the county town side – the first time in a year they have managed that feat – meaning Thomas has yet to be beaten in 270 minutes following his arrival from AFC Bournemouth.

The Magpies, who are now just two points clear of danger after Hampton & Richmond’s 4-0 win at Dartford, named an unchanged starting XI with the only switch seeing Nick Crittenden replace Jayden Stockley on the bench after the latter withdrew through injury.

However, the hosts were only able to name four substitutes, including boss Ashley Vickers and under-18 prospect Lee White.

Despite lying significantly lower in the Blue Square Bet South standings, Dorchester created the first golden opportunity after a rather cagey start from both sides.

Kyle Critchell released Chris Flood but the latter’s control let him down and the chance disappeared.

The home forward did manage to get his shot away on the quarter hour but Critchell inadvertently blocked his team-mate’s volley.

The Magpies continued to look the more threatening but were forced into a change just past half-hour with Crittenden making his first appearance since the end of January, coming on for the injured James Coutts.

The alteration failed to disrupt the home side’s flow and they were soon presented with their second one-on-one scenario.

After being put through by Jake Smeeton, Neil Martin kept his cool but so do did Bromley keeper Craig Holloway, whose fingertips carried the ball over the top.

Holloway was then forced to hold a Steve Devlin daisy-cutter from 25 yards while in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, Ryan Moss headed wide from Devlin’s corner.

The second period was also slow to get going, until Devlin was denied by Holloway at the near post. The visitors looked nothing like a team challenging for a play-off place and it took almost an hour for them to produce a meaningful attempt at goal.

And it came from half-time substitute Wes Daly, who saw a 30-yard strike drop just beyond the left-hand upright.

For all their endeavour, the Magpies were missing the necessary skill to make an impact on the scoreboard.

And they were almost caught napping midway through the half when Ide was handed a rare sight of goal.

Luckily for the hosts, gloveman Thomas, who had cut a somewhat lonely figure up to that point, made a vital save.

Dorchester were in danger of losing their grip on the match and would surely have found themselves behind in the 73rd minute had it not been for the heroics of home debutant Doug Bergqvist.

A lapse at the back gave Leon McKenzie the freedom of the left-hand side and his cut-back presented Tony Finn with the simplest of tasks.

Rather than shoot first time, the Bromley winger took a touch and was then thwarted by a superb block from 17-year-old Bergqvist. In response, Crittenden had a low drive pushed past the far post, although referee Adam Bromley failed to spot Holloway’s telling intervention, before Moss’ hooked effort narrowly missed the target.

Holloway then dived low to his left to keep out a Moss header from what was Dorchester’s 10th corner of the afternoon.

The final few minutes though belonged to the visitors and they came within a whisker of snatching a dramatic late win.

Ide created space for a shot inside the Magpies’ box but watched in agony as Thomas got a crucial touch and the effort came back off the woodwork.

There was still time, however, for Crittenden to pull a close-range strike harmlessly wide of goal.

	MATCH STATS
10	TOTAL ATTEMPTS	7
5	ATTEMPTS ON TARGET	3
5	ATTEMPTS OFF TARGET	3
0	HIT WOODWORK	1
11	CORNERS	6
7	OFFSIDES	6
9	FREE-KICKS CONCEDED	6