Twelve years since their last appearance in the competition, FA Cup fever was back at Weymouth Street. Warminster welcomed an Andover New Street team who finished 2nd in their league last season and, like Warminster, suffered play-off heartbreak.
New Street ply their trade in the Wessex league division 1, and indeed this was once a league fixture before Warminster moved to the toolstation western league. The hosts had the better of the first half, and on 10 minutes, a free kick was awarded, which was struck into the wall, with summer recruit Leigh Rogers miscuing the rebound.
Warminster continued to play some good football, and 15 minutes later, Spencer Dymond-Hall struck goal bound from about 20-25 yards, and a scrambling George Baxter prevented the hosts from going ahead with a superb save. Eben Mortimer-Taylor had a chance on 34 minutes but couldn’t weave his way through the New Street defence.
The second half started much like the first, with Warminster the better side, but it was the visitors who so very nearly took the lead; a mix-up in defence allowed Cameron Thatcher to loop a header goal bound, but the Warminster defence was pleased to see the ball bounce off the crossbar and for a goal kick.
Against the run of play, New Street, we’re awarded a penalty on 57 minutes, with Owen Bartley adjudged to have fouled Shane Lock. However, this was very controversial as the New Street player looked to have gone over theatrically. Substitute Ross Cook dispatched the penalty with ease. From here, the visitors took control and made sure of the win with 14 minutes left, the referee missed a possible foul, and the ball was crossed into an unmarked Ross Cook, who rifled the ball past home keeper Sam Thomson with a fingertip on the shot.
Another improved performance from Warminster, who controlled large parts of the game, with no goals in the last four games, needs to be more clinical.
Thomson, Bartley, Dymond-Hall, Graham (c)* Chandler, Rogers, Gardener,
Mortimer-Taylor, Cassidy*, Jakob Seviour*, Humphreys
Subs: Butler, Robbins, Miluk*, Sinclair*, Burden*, Ruck, McFerran H.
Match Report by Liam Spurrier