A Will Spetch goal four minutes from time earned the Magpies a deserved point at Gosport as they battled back from 2-0 down to claim a share of the spoils, and rise to fourth in the table.
Goals inside the first fifteen minutes from former Dorchester man Alfie Stanley and Danny Hollands had given the home side the early advantage, but a Matt Buse goal that came with the aid of a deflection, just before halftime, gave Tommy Killick's side something to work with, before Spetch's late leveller. Killick made three changes from Saturday's 1-1 at Bracknell as Marcus Daws, Ollie Haste and Matt Buse all came into the lineup, with Ieuan Turner, Luke Roberts and Wes Fogden the men to miss out. Fogden and Kyran Samadi weren't in the matchday squad, and Lewis Toms was named amongst the substitutes.
But it only took four minutes for the home side to grab the first goal, and it was a man who Dorch are familiar with who got the goal as Alfie Stanley netted his eighth of the campaign. Stanley's low shot found the bottom corner of Gerard Benfield's goal after some good buildup from the home side, and Dorch were again having to come from behind as they had done on Saturday. A bad start got worse ten minutes later as the ball broke to Danny Hollands on the edge of the area following a brief scramble, with his shot finding the back of the net to give the 16th placed Borough a two goal lead.
That goal seemed to jolt the Magpies into life and they enjoyed much more possession without creating any real chances of note, with Gosport dropping deeper and deeper and seeming content to limit scoring opportunities to shots from range, none of which troubled goalkeeper Adam Parkes. That was until ten minutes from the halftime interval when Parkes had to be alert to first save an Olaf Koszela effort with an outstretched left boot, the rebound falling to Buse who saw his effort pushed onto the frame of the goal and away. Parkes once again had to be alert to deny Will Spetch his first of the season, Spetch's audacious chipped effort needing tipping over for a corner as the pressure built. And as first half injury time approached, the pressure finally told.
After Stanley fired a good chance straight at Benfield, it wasn't long before more patient buildup play saw the ball find Buse, and his shot from the edge of the area took a slight deflection to leave Parkes stranded as Buse scored his second of the season and the noisy Dorch support finally had something to really shout about. The halftime whistle followed shortly after - the late goal potentially changing the team talk of both managers with the score 2-1 to Gosport.
With no changes made by either side at the interval, the second half picked up where the first left off with Dorch having the majority of the ball, and Gosport content to sit in and await any openings on the counter. Neither side was able to fashion any chances of note with shots either going harmlessly wide or attacks breaking down, and with a shade over 20 minutes left Luke Roberts was introduced for Buse as the Magpies looked to find the elusive equaliser. As the game moved into the final ten minutes and with Spetch now playing up front, Dorch really ramped up the pressure. Daws sent a freekick from a good position harmlessly over but with five minutes remaining the equaliser finally came.
Excellent work down the Dorch left from Luke Pardoe saw him get towards the byline, and his ball across the six yard box was tapped home by Spetch for his first goal of the campaign. Despite both sides having corners and Dorch finishing strongly, the remaining normal time and the four additional minutes passed without any further chances, the final score of 2-2 probably being a fair result.
The point moves Dorch up to fourth and sets up a fascinating clash with table-topping Merthyr on Saturday. With the Martyrs sure to travel in good numbers and this being the Magpies' first home game in nearly a month, it should be a bumper crowd for a mouthwatering fixture. Tickets for Saturday's game can be found via the link below, buying online saves £2 compared to buying on the gate.
https://dorchestertownfc.ktckts.com/event/dch2425l11/merthyr-town-
Starting XI: Benfield; Dickson, Bragg, Spetch, Haste; Moore, Ngalo; Buse (Roberts), Daws, Pardoe; Koszela. Subs not used: Turner, Holmes, Toms.
Attendance: 615
Written by: Stuart Voss