Basingstoke ObserverWIMBORNE Town claimed all three points thanks to a solitary goal scored in the first minute against Hartley Wintney on Saturday.
There was an action packed start to the match. Hartley attacked almost immediately and Kyan Nicholas sent Adam Allen through on goal. The midfielders shot brought out a good parrying save from Gerard Benfield in the Magpies goal. Benfield managed to recover the ball and his long clearance eluded the Row defence leaving Lewis Beale free to lob over the outrushing Luke Williams in the Hartley goal (1-0).
The home side held a slight edge and took the opportunity to shoot from distance when the situation arose. However, every shot went wide. Hartley almost pulled level on 28 minutes. Harry Cooksley created space and his parting shot took a deflection which enabled Benfield to save. A minute later Harry Morgan for the Magpies went on a good individual run and his parting shot brought out a decent save from Williams.
On 35 minutes the Row should have pulled level after the best move of the match. Cooksley and Sam Argent combined well down the right. The cross found Allen free in front of goal. The shot was under hit from close range and this enabled Benfield and his defenders to clear off the line. Four minutes later some very loose play in the Row defence gave Morgan a chance and the midfielders shot brought out a good save from Williams.
Approaching half time Beale managed to get free down the middle and his attempted lob over Williams lacked elevation and the Hartley keeper saved.
HALF TIME: WIMBORNE TOWN 1 HARTLEY WINTNEY 0
Hartley improved after the break and exerted pressure. On 55 minutes a free kick on the left from Harry Cooksley found saw Toby Nevile rise highest and his powerful header was tipped over the bar by Benfield. Four minutes later Christos Papakonstantinou got free on the right and his cross found Argent who headed wide.
Although the Row had the edge the Magpies were given opportunities from breakaways. On 60 minutes Beale managed to create a chance for himself but shot wide. Four minutes later a corner on the right from Dan Bartlett saw a downward header from Scott Arnold which bounced over the crossbar. On 68 minutes things got a bit fractious at a Hartley corner resulting in a get together involving many players. It ended with a few players being perhaps fortunate not to receive a card. Approaching the final stages the Magpies switched over to game management mode and successfully ran the clock down. The home support were in raptures at the end to celebrate a rare win this season.
Wimborne Town are already relegated but they showed a greater desire on the day against an out of sorts Hartley team. Hartley were guilty of many unforced errors throughout the match and in particular the first period. The Row still require one point from their final three games to ensure survival from relegation. However it would need a bizarre sequence of results to condemn the Row to relegation.
FULL TIME: WIMBORNE TOWN 1 HARTLEY WINTNEY 0
Anthony Millerick commented: “The overall quality of play was poor. However, although we were not really at our best we had three good chances in the first half. I felt the goal we conceded was very poor and should have been prevented.I took the opportunity today to rotate the squad and made several changes.In the second period we managed to get into good areas but failed to capitalise with the opportunities which arose. Wimborne played with a lot of spirit. This is possibly because they no longer have the pressures of getting points to avoid relegation.”
This match came after the announcement by the club that Anthony Millerick is to step down as Hartley Wintney manager at the end of the 2021-22 season. It will bring to an end his seven seasons at the helm, a time of unprecedented success for the north Hampshire club. But it will not bring an end to his time with the club.
Millerick’s time in management stretches back well before his tenure at Hartley, and so while the club will be sorry to see him step down, it fully understands he feels it is time for him to take a break but announced that he will be moving ‘upstairs’ to the newly created position of Director of Football at Hartley Wintney FC, and will also become the club’s new Commercial Manager.
Hartley Wintney Chairman, Luke Mullen, praised Millerick’s achievements: “What Millers achieved on the pitch, initially alongside Dan, took us from a step 5 side in rural Hampshire that could cause the occasional cup upset, to a team that over-achieved season after season, without the profile or budget of most of our competition. Everyone brought their passion to this little club, and loyalty and team spirit has taken us a long way. Millers would want me to put on record the support he’s had from Vice Chairman, Steve Noakes, who recently stood down as assistant manager. Both have been very loyal to us. Millers has turned down no end of more lucrative offers. It says a lot about how much he holds the club in his heart, and I am delighted he will be taking on two hugely important roles with us from next season.”
