Saturday 5th April 2025.               Southern League, Premier Division South.

Walton & Hersham 2 Wimborne Town 1.

Swans, unbeaten in 15 league games, met their Dorset visitors, who had not lost in 10, and it was the home side who extended their record after coming from behind to win 2-1. Swans’ undefeated run has been under threat of ending on several occasions, and that was the case again as they trailed with a quarter of an hour remaining, but they constantly prove they cannot be written off, however late in the game it gets. Wimborne, having taken the lead early in the second-half, did not then do themselves any favours, as they committed a series of fouls, leading to three yellow cards being shown in rapid succession. Two of those bookings were picked up by the same player, Billy Walker, who was sent off, leaving his side to play out the remaining 33 minutes a man short. It was a case of déjà vu for the Magpies’ defender, as he had suffered the same fate in their home match against Swans in August.
Swans made a couple of changes from the previous league game, with Anis Nuur and Mason Obeng coming in for Wayne Ridgley and Ralph Vigrass. Elliott Bolton had recovered sufficiently from his concussion and started on the bench, with Riley Horan retaining his place in an all teenage back four. As in the match at Gloucester City, Vigrass was to come on and have a tremendous impact on the left side, going on to score a superb goal to win the match.
Dawid Rogalski was soon forcing a corner on the left for Swans, but the visitors responded, Will Fletcher being played in on the left byeline to drive in a low ball that home goalkeeper Jos Barker cut out well at his near-post. Wimborne then had a free-kick on halfway on the left, and Josh Carmichael’s delivery into the box was cleared at the far-post.
Swans had a lot of possession in the early stages, but with a gusty wind blowing towards the away goal they had difficulty controlling the pace of the final ball Johl Powell was almost played in, but the ball was again running away from him and the Magpies’ keeper Cameron Plain was able to come out and kick clear. Horan got in on the right to drive the ball low across the edge of the 6 yard-box, but both Rogalski and Bobby-Joe Taylor just failed to get a touch.
Wimborne’s Carmichael drove a dangerous looking ball in from deep on the left, and although Barker initially failed to gather, the Swans’ keeper recovered to prevent any follow up.
With 25 minutes on the watch Swans went close following an excellent piece if play. Junior Eccleston got forward on the right to pick out the run of Powell to the edge of the box. Powell’s neat back-heel found Horan, whose ball across the edge of the 6 yard-box just failed to find Rogalski. Eccleston was immediately being fouled on the right, and the quickly taken free-kick led to Taylor picking up in the centre-circle. Taylor played a clever one-two with Rogalski before tricking his way into the right of the box and getting in a shot that brought a fine save from Plain, the keeper getting a right hand on the ball to push it away. Taylor was soon doing superbly in the middle of the pitch before finding Rogalski, who picked out the run of Horan on the right. Horan got into the box before laying the ball inside to Powell, whose first-time shot was unfortunately straight at Plain at the near-post. Swans had settled, with more fluency in their play, and Powell drove in a low shot from the left edge of the box, but it lacked the power to seriously trouble Plain.
Wimborne’s Owen Roundell-Prince had another opportunity to use his long throw, and one from the right led to the ball finding the head of Walker, but under pressure from Barker he could only send it looping onto the top of the net. A foul by Eccleston gave the Magpies a free-kick deep on the left, and Carmichael’s delivery to the far-post found the head of Sam Jackson, but the ball went straight to Barker.
With ten minutes left of the half Taylor forced a corner on the left for Swans, and from Nuur’s kick Horan got a foot to the ball on the edge of the 6 yard-box, and it went just wide of the right post.
Taylor found Powell on the right to have a low cross cleared, but in the final minute of the half the visitors had a chance to go in at the break a goal up. Sam Roberts’ high ball down the right picked out the run of Fletcher, who got past Eoin Bolger and into the right of the box, but Barker came out to make a fine block and deflect the ball behind for a corner. Matt Neale’s right-side kick found Jackson at the far-post, and he headed the ball down for Harvey Wright to have a shot blocked. The ball came to Jez Bedford on the right, and he crossed to the edge of the 6 yard-box for Fletcher to stoop and get in a header. Barker made a great double save, getting a strong left hand on the ball, and then just preventing it from bouncing over the line, but the flag went up for offside anyway.
Swans made a tactical change for the second-half, with Bolton coming on for Horan.
Straight from the resumption Taylor played the ball forward on the right to Rogalski, who played a superb flick to send Powell through into the right of the box, but he was held up by Roundell-Prince. Rogalski followed up to get in a left foot shot, and the ball deflected off Roundell-Prince and behind for a corner.
Five minutes into the half the visitors again went close to going ahead, Bedford played Neale into the left of the box to get in a left foot shot that brought another fine save from Barker, The ball looped up to Matty Burrows, coming in at the far-post, but he could only find the side-netting.
The lead did come just a minute later however. A free-kick was awarded deep on the right, and when Neale swung the ball in to the far-post for Jackson to head back across goal, Carmichael was close-in at the other post to nod home.
Taylor got Powell down the right for Swans, but his low ball in was cleared, and Plain saved a follow-up shot from the edge of the box.
Ten minutes into the second-half the Magpies’ Walker finally pushed the referee’s patience too far, and he was shown a yellow card for accumulated offences. Two more bookings followed for the visitors in the space of the next two minutes, the second, picked up by Walker, resulting in his dismissal. Roundell-Prince was shown a yellow for a foul on Powell, and when Walker bundled the same Swans’ player over to stop his run on the right, his card turned to red.
Before the resultant free-kick, awarded just outside the edge of the box, was taken, Swans brought on Vigrass for Obeng. Taylor then played the kick short, for Nuur to have a shot blocked. Powell played the ball in low from the right, and it was put behind at the near-post to deny Rogalski. Bolger’s corner resulted in a shot being deflected over for another kick, and more efforts being blocked in the box when that was taken.
Bedford was the next Wimborne player to be booked, again for a foul on Powell. The free-kick, just outside the right corner of the box, was whipped in left-footed by Taylor, but Plain was well placed on his line to make a smart take.
Swans’ pressure paid off with the equaliser after 74 minutes. Powell found Taylor on the right, and he got to the byeline to drive the ball low across the 6 yard-box, with Plain unable to cut it out at the near-post. Bedford was behind his keeper, and the ball came off him to go just over the goal-line before Bolton followed in to make sure.
A fine move on the right led to Taylor cutting inside before finding Vigrass on the left, who tricked his way past both Burrows and Bedford to drive in on the byeline. Both Rogalski and Powell were at the near-post as Vigrass laid the ball across, and it went across goal and clipped the outside of the far-post as Rogalski got a touch. Bolger was soon bringing the ball forward before again finding Vigrass on the left. Vigrass again left Bedford trailing and crossed for Rogalski to head in, but the ball had just gone over the byeline.
Wimborne had an opportunity with a free-kick awarded just outside the box, but Burrows drove the ball over.
Swans continued to press, and Plain had to come to the edge of his area to kick clear and deny Powell as Thabo Kuaho played the ball forward.
The pressure paid off after 83 minutes as Swans made it 2-1 with a superb goal from Vigrass. A patient build up led to Kuaho finding Vigrass on the left, and he took a great first touch to get past Bedford and drive into the box. He then sidestepped Roberts before drilling the ball inside the far-post.
Vigrass was soon making another fine run into the left of the box, but he was closed out this time and the ball ran behind. Swans went close to making it 3-1 in the final minute of normal-time. Ridgley had just come on for Nuur, and he played the ball forward to Rogalski, who touched it through to Powell in the right of the box. Plain came out quickly, colliding with Powell and forcing him to shoot just over.
Instead of increasing their lead, Swans almost had it snatched away with what would have been a remarkable goal. Wimborne’s Carmichael was deep on the front edge of the centre-circle when he spotted Barker off his line. He then drove the ball towards goal, and it was dipping under the bar, bur the Swans’ keeper got back to tip it over with a tremendous save.
A minimum of 8 added-on minutes were then indicated. Wimborne had a free-kick in the centre-circle, but Carmichael sent the ball behind. They then had one last opportunity to get the ball into Swans’ box, and Carmichael delivered the ball high to the far-post from deep on the right, but Barker came out to pluck it off the head of Jackson with a terrific catch.

Swans’ Team: Jos Barker, Riley Horan (Elliott Bolton 46’), Thabo Kuaho, Joey Jones, Junior Eccleston (Paul Field 85’), Eoin Bolger, Bobby-Joe Taylor, Anis Nuur (Wayne Ridgley 88’), Dawid Rogalski, Johl Powell (Alex Body 90+1’), Mason Obeng (Ralph Vigrass 60’). Scorer: Own goal (Bedford) (74’), Vigrass (83’). Caution: Eccleston, foul (75’).
Wimborne Team: Plain, Wright, Jackson, Walker, Roberts, Roundell-Prince (Morgan 72’), Bedford (Richardson 84’), Carmichael, Fletcher, Neale (Baker 84’), Burrows. Scorer: Carmichael (51’). Cautions: Roundell-Prince, foul (56’), Bedford, foul (65’). Dismissal: Walker, 2 cautions. Persistent infringement (55’), foul (57’).