Fresh off the high of a commanding victory away in the city, Dorkinian 1st XI returned to Pixham Lane to face up against a Rob Roy Rovers side who are scrapping to stay in the top division of the Southern Amateur League.

The game was disjointed, and the pitch was heavy. This worked in the favour of the opposition, who tended to go from back to front quickly, playing on the break. The attacking quartet of Phil Robinson, Sam Rowley, Liam Hawkins and Craig Kingswell toiled to create, but were largely frustrated by resolute defending. It took until the 40th minute for the deadlock to be broken, where an excellent through ball from Tanny King landed just behind the back line, and Kingswell broke free from his man and lofted the ball over the onrushing keeper and into the net. Half-time quickly followed with the scoreline at 1-0.

The second half started in much the same fashion. George Warne was commanding in the backline, dealing admirably with the Rob Roy centre-forward who was causing problems on and off the ball, putting his body on the line for the team. Despite a collectively resilient defensive display from Dorkinians, Rob Roy struck next, firing a finish from close range into the top corner, leaving Lee Shipp no chance at all.

Minutes continued to roll by without any further change to the score, and despite a couple of clear chances for Kingswell, it appeared that both sides would have to settle for a point. In the title race, a point would not have been enough for Dorkinians, and it took a moment of sheer quality on 82 minutes to wrestle back the lead. A weak clearance fell at the feet of Charlie Woodman, who picked out Jonny Walton on the edge of the box. Walton turned inside and whipped the ball into the top corner. The celebrations were significant, as all players and fans recognised the magnitude of the moment. In the dying moments, the 3 points were secured as Andy Sears-Black was relentless in his pressing, beating the goalkeeper to the ball and then beating the recovering defender in a foot race to the goal line. Relief was clear across Pixham, as Dorkinians head into two semi-finals still atop the Southern Amateur League pyramid.

Join us at Meadowbank Stadium on Wednesday 18th March for the semi-final of the Surrey Premier Cup against Sheerwater.