CHICKERELL UNITED 1

WESTLAND SPORTS RES 3

CHICKERELL were confidently beaten 3-1 by a well-drilled counter-attacking Westland Sports Reserves side in the Dorset Senior League.

Ben Miller initially gave the depleted Chickens a lead in the first half, but Westland responded with three clinically taken chances.

The Chickens were without Nick Voss, Dylan Ellis, Dan Welch while Matt Cracknell was injured for the match.

Westland started as they meant to go on, with a great attack from the kick-off but they could not create a chance to beat Ian Bickerstaff in the Chickens’ goal.

Chickerell responded with a goal however, as a lovely ball from Nick Etherington found Miller who slotted home past the Westland goalkeeper from the edge of the box after five minutes.

The Chickens then had a great spell as they pressured Westland but could not fashion a clear-cut chance to beat their keeper, who was in good form.

An overhead kick from Ben Sandeman went close but the home side could not make their good spell count.

After 25 minutes, the visitors broke well and earned a free-kick on the edge of the box after a foul from Clayton Heath, that was confidently curled into the top corner.

Chickerell also had a penalty appeal turned down during the first half but this was turned away.

The two teams cancelled each other out for a while after the equaliser, until a mistake at the back from Chickerell’s Liam Coles allowed Westland to nip in and round Bickerstaff to fire in.

The two sides went in at half-time with the visitors a goal up.

In the second half, Westland sat back and defended well, which restricted Chickerell to very few chances.

The visitors then counter-attacked after 65 minutes and, from a two-on-two situation, Westland squared the ball across the box and slotted in.

Chickerell made some changes to their formation shortly after but could not create many clear-cut chances.

The home side could not get back into it, as their four-game unbeaten run came to an end.

Chickerell manager Shaun Murphy said: “It was a bit of a tough result to be fair. We were not at our best I would say.

“I feel that there were too many key players missing this week.

“They probably deserve their win, to be fair.

“It was one of those games, a frustrating game really.”

Chickerell travel to Poole Borough on Saturday (2pm).

Chickerell: Bickerstaff, Coles, Daniels, Rogers, Heath (James 46), Miller, Sandeman, Harvey, McCarthy, Stickland, Etherington. Subs not used: Murphy

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