Southern League Division One South & West

Yate Town 1 Wimborne Town 4

YATE Town’s unbeaten record was smashed to pieces by a clinical Wimborne side at Lodge Road on Tuesday night.

Although the final scoreline was flattering to the visitors, Rob Cousins’ side paid the price for several missed chances combined with defensive lapses, and were 3-0 down by the time they eventually found the net through Lewis Haldane in the 61st minute.

Yate had staged remarkable comebacks from 2-0 down in two of their previous three league games, but this proved to be a step too far as prolific Wimborne striker Mark Gamble scored two spectacular goals either side of Haldane's effort in the second half to send them to their first defeat in eight games this season.

The result meant Yate were leapfrogged by Wimborne in the table on goal difference and have dropped to sixth.

Ironically, Yate made a brighter start than they have in any other home game so far this season and managed a few attempts at goal before Wimborne’s 14th minute opener. Haldane drilled wide, Ross Staley’s driven free kick was well saved by Jason Harvell low to his left and Bradley Abraham’s effort narrowly missed the target after his shot took a wicked deflection.

However, Wimborne’s high pressing game posed problems and when they won the ball just inside Yate’s half they went forward at pace to take the lead, Sam Griffin emphatically converting Matt Kemble’s inviting cross from ten yards.

Yate reacted positively as they went in search of a quick equaliser. A surging Mitch Tippins run finished with a deflected shot wide, while Joe Chandler and Tom Warren could not direct their headers goalwards from Dale Evans corners.

Instead it was Wimborne who scored next in the 26th minute when another dangerous Kemble delivery, this time from a free kick on the right, was met by a powerful Ian Oliver header, giving goalkeeper Martin Horsell no chance.

Yate continued to press but could not find the target. Lewis Haldane glanced Staley’s cross wide and Harvell came off his line to block from Tippins but the closest they came to pulling a goal back before half-time was when Andy Lewis had a header cleared off the line from Evans’ corner.

Wimborne stretched their lead eight minutes into the second half. Yate were caught napping as Oliver hit a long free kick over the defence and the ball sat up for Mark Gamble to hit a stunning volley from a tight angle across Horsell and into the net.

Jake Jackson should have done better when he side-footed wide inside the box and Warren missed an even better chance when he somehow nodded over the bar from close range after Haldane’s pin-point cross.

Haldane made no such mistake, showing the quality that saw play in the Football League when he headed a quickly taken corner by Jackson into the bottom corner of the net to give Yate a lifeline.

Suddenly, Haldane had the bit between his teeth and curled another shot just wide before Harvell twice came to Wimborne’s rescue, beating out Staley’s long range fizzer and superbly parrying a fiercely struck free kick by Tippins from the edge of the box.

However, Wimborne secured the win with three minutes remaining. Staley and Lewis were not on the same wavelength and the left back’s pass was seized on by Gamble, who floated a wonderful lob over Horsell from 40 yards.

A break from league action could come at the right time for Yate as they welcome Southern League Premier Division side Dorchester Town at home in the FA Cup on Saturday (3pm).

Yate Town: Horsell (c), Tippins, Staley, Chandler, Lewis, Abraham, Warren (Harmer, 71), Evans, Jackson (Felix,71), Haldane, Ricketts. Subs not used: Cox, Meaker.

Ref: Mr S Ogles.

Att: 157.

Gazette star man: Mitch Tippins – Dangerous going forward.