Warminster Town 4(3) Gillingham Town 0(0)
Attendance 146
Ahead of today’s game Warminster were in 20th place in the Division One table, Gillingham in 22nd, bottom place. The visitors had just one league win this season against Warminster!
Warminster started the game well and took an early 2nd minute lead. Reece Collyer’s cross field pass found left winger Jake Wright. Jake played the ball into the danger area and Kieron Burpitt turned the ball past the Gills keeper Ben Eastman, 1-0. On 22 minutes a poor Gillingham clearance fell to Jack Duck who fired in left footed to double the home side’s lead, 2-0. Just two minutes later it was three. Jake Wright was brought down in the box and the referee awarded Warminster a penalty. Corey Gardner fired the spot kick past Eastman, 3-0. In the 33rd minute Gillingham went close to pulling a goal back when they hit the post after a free kick from wide right was played into the box.
As it neared halftime the odds were tipped dramatically in Warminster’s favour. Gills’ substitute Ben Pitman had only been off the bench a few minutes when he was involved in a tussle with Warminster’s Corey Gardner and both players were shown yellow cards. In the 40th minute Pitman received a second yellow for scything down Gardner as the Warminster forward ran down the left touchline. Just five minutes later the visitors were reduced to nine men when Mike Calverley who had already been cautioned for throwing a punch was dismissed for another offence after intervention by a linesman.
As often happens when teams have a numerical advantage performance levels can drop. Warminster continued to dominate but lacked the killer instinct after the break. Chances were squandered and they only added one more goal to their tally. It came in the 65th minute when a Gillingham hand ball in the box led to Warminster being awarded a second penalty. With Corey Gardner having been substituted, Jake Wright stepped up to take the spot kick and fired it past Eastman, 4-0. Thereafter the hosts were never troubled and ran out comfortable winners. The win lifted Warminster above Odd Down to 18th in the table and more importantly opened a five point gap over second from bottom Keynsham Town.
Match report: Geoff Jackson