Police may be called in as brawl ends in assault

Wimborne Town 3, Winchester City 2

WINCHESTER City skipper Lloyd Webber is seeking police action after allegedly being punched in the mouth in the closing stages of this stormy encounter at the Cuthbury on Tuesday night.

Webber was helped from the pitch after an incident involving Wimborne substitute Gary Clark. City defender Toby Redwood had just been sent off for a rash challenge on Gareth Barnes, which resulted in a mele involving players from both sides.

The referee was about to restart the game when Clark ran 40 yards from the dugout and appeared to strike the unwitting Webber in the face.

The City man needed seven stitches in his lip and spent the night in hospital with concussion. Several teeth were damaged and he faces lengthy dental treatment to put things right.

The incident was spotted by a linesman and the match referee then sent Clark to the dressing room.

City manager Neil Hards commented: "It was totally out of order as Lloyd was just standing there waiting for the game to restart.

"Their substitute crept up behind him before smacking him in the mouth. Lloyd is considering seeking police action for a charge of common assault - he'll be out of action for quite some time."

All this came minutes after Webber had pulled the score back to 3-2 after a move involving Jamie Laidlaw. As it was, the scoreline remained unchanged in a hectic finale as City slipped to only their second league defeat of the season.

Honours had been even until the closing four minutes of the first half when former City striker Stuart Cannie put the home side ahead from 20 yards. Gareth Barnes then scored from the spot after Ian Buckman had brought down Kennedy.

City pulled a goal back ten minutes after the restart when Jamie Laidlaw headed in Mark Smith's cross, but the Magpies restored their two-goal advantage two minutes later when Paul Roast nodded home from a corner.

Webber's goal after 85 minutes opened the door for City to earn a point, but then came the injury time rumpus.

Of the game, Hards said: "We weren't at our best, but you can't win every game and I'm not going to criticise anyone."

Gosport Borough 0, City 5

It was billed as a top of the table clash but on this evidence Winchester appear to be in a league of their own, writes Richard Edwards.

City arrived at second-placed Gosport on Saturday just three points clear of their closest rivals; they left Privett Park having doubled that advantage with a display that suggested their league campaign could become a procession.

At times, the match appeared to be nothing more than a stroll in the late autumn sunshine.

From the off, City simply tore into their hosts with Shaun Dyke's creative promptings from the right causing problems time and again. They had already forged a number of openings when they broke the deadlock after 24 minutes.

Mark Smith was pushed from behind by Ian Rew and Dyke made no mistake from the spot, planting the ball firmly beyond Borough goalkeeper Brown.

City piled on the pressure, and it took just four minutes for Jamie Musselwhite to add a second when he pounced on a loose ball following Mark Blake's blocked shot.

Worse was to follow for Gosport when, on the stroke of half-time, Jamie Laidlaw finished off a well-worked move to make it three.

City eased off the gas in the second half, but Musselwhite extinguished any thoughts of a Borough comeback when he coolly stroked home a fourth on 75 minutes. Liam Green completed the rout when he powered home a cross from fellow substitute Ian Mancey.

Tomorrow (Sat 6th) City visit Jersey to meet St Peters in the second round of the Hampshire Senior Cup (2pm). They'll be without injury victims Webber and Blake, while both Ian Mancey and Kieron Hall are unavailable.

City beat the island side 7-nil when they met in the same competition two years ago.