Angus sent off as Town settle for draw

DIOR Angus was sent off as Stratford Town had to settle for a 2-2 draw at struggling Dorchester on Saturday, writes Bryan Hale.

Dorchester started brightly and went ahead on 15 minutes when Mark Jermyn’s cross-shot from the right floated over keeper Niall Cooper and into the net at the far post.

But Stratford were level inside a minute when Edwin Ahenkorah pounced on a mistake by Nathan Walker to surge into the penalty area and coolly slot the ball past the advancing Magpies keeper Shane Murphy.

Cooper then made a smart save from Tony Lee before Stratford took the lead in the 29th minute.

Kieren Westwood launched a free kick into the Dorchester penalty area and when it was only half cleared, Jamie Sheldon seized on the loose ball to volley it unerringly into the bottom corner past a static Murphy.

But five minutes later Angus tangled with Jermyn and was shown a straight red card by referee Ryan Hillier-Smith.

And Dorchester made their extra man count two minutes onto the second half when Matt Oldring’s cross from the right was fired home by Chris Dillon from eight yards out.

Stratford were unlucky not to regain the lead soon after when Ahenkorah’s glancing header beat Murphy and came back off the bar.

But from then on Dorchester pressed for the winner as Stratford defended in depth and in numbers.

The nearest they came was five minutes from time when Cooper made a brilliant double save as he acrobatically palmed away a long range attempt from Neil Martin and then recovered instantly to block substitute Liam Sayers' follow-up.

TOWN: Niall Cooper, Simeon Tulloch, Kieren Westwood (Barry Fitzharris 50), James Fry, Guy Clark (c), Jordan Cullinane-Liburd, Jamie Sheldon, Dan Summerfield, Dior Angus, Edwnn Ahenkorah (Edji Mbunga 82), Will Grocott.