Warminster Town 1(1) Devizes Town 3(2)
On Tuesday evening (March 18th), Warminster Town travelled to Hardenhuish Park, Chippenham to take on Devizes Town in the Wiltshire Senior Cup Semifinal. This cup tie gave the team a welcome break from the their Western League Division 1 survival fight.
The game had barely started when Warminster were dealt a blow. In the fourth minute the ball rebounded back to keeper Callum Hotine who picked up the ball. Unfortunately the referee deemed it a back pass and awarded Devizes an indirect free kick in the penalty area. The ball was played to the Devizes centre forward Luke Hopper who blasted it into the net. 0-1. In the twenty-third minute Devizes doubled their lead. Will Thomson was picked out in space in the box and he fired goal wards left footed. Callum Hotine dived to his left to save but the ball squeezed underneath him, 0-2. Just a minute later Warminster were unlucky not to strike back when Jack Newton’s header from a left side cross was well saved by the Devizes keeper, Adam Clatworthy. At the break Warminster trailed 0-2.
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Five minutes into the second half Warminster were back in the tie after Sam McFarlane headed in Recce Collyer’s left side corner, 1-2. Devizes were stung into action and restored their two goal advantage shortly afterwards. Jamie Walters fired in from the left side of the penalty area after a free kick into the danger area was only half cleared, 1-3. Warminster fought hard to reduce the deficit again and with about fifteen minutes left a long range shot flew just wide of the far post. Then in stoppage time Warminster were awarded a free kick just outside penalty area. Dead ball specialist Reece Collyer stepped up but his free kick and his follow up shot were both blocked. Then with time almost expired, the last action of the game saw a frustrated Saracen Yates wrestle a Devizes forward to the ground to earn himself a second red card of the season against the same opponents.
Devizes progress to the final where they will now play Wroughton of the Wiltshire Senior League.
Match Report: Geoff Jackson