SWPL Premier West: Wendron United 3-1 Godolphin Atlantic

Kian Thomas and Jack Noy had given the dominant hosts a 2-0 lead at the break, but Matt Sanders’ second-half strike gave the G hope of rescuing a point, only for Roberts to fire in against the run of play late on to secure back-to-back wins for Wendron.

The hosts enjoyed a dominant first half as Godolphin, who came into the game with one point from their first four games, struggled to make any notable impact. Indeed, the visitors were frequently spared by the linesman’s offside flag, which was raised several times against the home side throughout the first 45 minutes.

Scott Palmer and Thomas were the danger men early on for the Dron, with the former having the first effort saved by Ethan Fearn before spurning a good opportunity when Thomas’ dangerous cross struck him on the back.

Jack Greenwood’s men made the breakthrough in the 22nd minute when Thomas beat the offside trap to collect a through ball, before drawing Fearn from his goal, rounding him and slotting into the empty net.

From that point it was all Wendron until half-time as the hosts looked to wrap up the match before the break.

First it was Thomas who unleashed a dipping strike onto the roof of the net before the same man fired straight at Fearn when in a good position, with Joe Chapman shooting over the bar moments later.

Godolphin passed up a big chance to level in a rare foray forward when Isaac Varga’s cross flash across goal and out of reach of Adam Paterson, who tried to slide in and knock it past Dron ‘keeper Adam Peters.

Noy then saw two chances go begging, with one being blocked and the other saved as Wendron turned the screw, before Ryan Lavery tested Peters at the other end in a moment of respite.

That respite was brief as Wendron attacked again, with Noy having another strike blocked before Jack Stocker’s shot looped into the air and dropped narrowly wide.

You sensed it might not be Noy’s night when the forward fired another attempt straight at Fearn, but it was that man who doubled the lead three minutes before the break when he latched onto a through ball and fired at goal from 12 yards, with the effort flying into the top corner despite Fearn getting a hand to it.

Wendron may have felt that their dominance merited a larger lead at the break, and they may have been wishing they had achieved that as Godolphin raised their game significantly in the second half.

After Stocker’s early attempt it was time for the visitors to enjoy a dominant spell, with Dan O’Hara forcing a save out of Peters from a free kick before Ash Winkworth’s shot was blocked on the edge of the box.

All of a sudden it was one-way traffic as Wendron scrambled another couple of corners away before Jacob Grange jinked past Ryan Tetley and saw his low shot take a lucky deflection for another corner.

But the hosts almost managed to kill the game off on the hour when Thomas beat his man to the byline and crossed for Palmer, who turned the ball wide from six yards.

That proved crucial as Godolphin got their goal in the 72nd minute, with Sanders firing in at the rear of the box after a cross was not dealt with by the home defence to grab the goal his side deserved.

The G were now sniffing an equaliser that would have seemed scarcely believable at half-time, with substitute Ben Colquhoun’s cross finding the unmarked Grange, who headed straight at Peters from six yards out, before fellow sub Kane Tippett flashing a shot narrowly wide of the far post from a tight angle.

But, despite the huge pressure they were under, the Dron finally made the points safe four minutes from time. Noy sprinted away down the left and saw his shot tipped away by the onrushing Fearn, but substitute Roberts fired in the rebound at the far post.

Wendron: A Peters, L Potts, J McIlroy (D Swire 86), L Pawley, R Tetley, B Ringrose (S Young 68), J Stocker, J Chapman, S Palmer (H Roberts 68), K Thomas, J Noy.