Lymington rue missed chances against premier new boys AFC Stoneham

Sydenhams Wessex Premier: AFC Stoneham 1-0 Lymington Town

HAVING started the season with an impressive win at title favourites Horndean, Lymington Town were surprised in midweek by Premier Division new boys AFC Stoneham going down to a defeat by a single goal at the beginning of the second half.

There was no shortage of effort from the teams, but both found it difficult to create clear-cut chances.

Lymington’s Mike Gosney had an early shot which was caught by Matt Fredericks in the home goal, and following a Gosney free-kick which was cleared at the expense of a corner, Steve Flynn headed over when well placed.

At the other end, Stoneham captain Alex Welch fired in a shot that was tipped over by keeper Henry Newman. At the midway point in the first half, Stoneham created several chances, but as the half wore on, Lymington became more dominant with Gosney being the biggest threat.

Another Gosney free-kick was headed straight at Fredericks by Flynn, then Gosney came close with a shot that just cleared the bar.

What was to prove the winning goal came within two minutes of the restart. Josh Clark looked suspiciously offside as he gained a yard on the Linnets defence to pick up a through ball and slot it past Newman from the edge of the penalty area.

Lymington were now enjoying more possession, and Flynn had a golden chance when through on goal but his shot was beaten down by Fredericks at the expense of a corner.

Late on, the game became tense, and the referee showed yellow cards to players from both sides. Ron Frost became the first Linnets player to visit the sin bin after showing dissent towards the referee.

Despite their efforts, Lymington fell short and Stoneham proved worthy winners on the day.