Wisbech Town: 1) Alex Street 2)Anthony Reeve (Darren Jimson 66) 3) Scott Johnson 4) Neal Spafford 5) Jonathan Fairweather 6)Steven Reid 7) Rogan McGeorge 8)Adam Millson 9) Dubi Ogbonna 10) Matthew Lunn 11) Oliver Gale (Toby Ogbonna 76). Unused Subs: 12) Paul Cousins 15) Lewis Clayton
Wivenhoe Town: 1) Adam Wilding 2) Liam Dadds (Joe Jordan 66) 3) Lewis Blanchett 4) Ben Parkin 5) Tom Cutts 6) Ryan Brown (Tim Dennis 74) 7) Michael Schofield 8) Reece Keating 9) Ray Catchpole 10) Ed Butcher 11) Tom Moore (Jon Rajabi 79). Unused Subs: 16) None

Referee: Mr Chris Francis. Assistants: Mr Hallam Cutmore & Mr Jose Velasco Llorente
Attendance: 292

Despite the score line it was a well-contested and often evenly fought game at the Fenland Stadium as Wivenhoe matched the Fenman most of the way.
The Dragons kicked-off towards the town end of the Fenland Stadium on what was yet another beautifully bright and sunny Saturday afternoon. Ryan Brown returned to the team in midfield but Ben Lampon was unavailable. On the bench Tim Dennis was back after injury and the club welcomed two new signings in Joe Jordan (no silly, not the toothless former Scotland centre-forward) and Jon Rajabi.
Whilst Wisbech settled quickly and dominated possession in the first ten minutes, Wivenhoe then began to get into the game. The first shot of the match fell to Wisbech’s Lunn on ten minutes. After collecting a throw-in Lunn turned on the edge of the box before unleashing a powerful strike which Adam Wilding did well to hold above his head. Wivenhoe’s first shot followed a minute later as Liam Dadds’ pass found Lewis Blanchett who ran from the half way line before hitting the ball with the outside of his boot from 20 yards or more; sadly the effort curled a long way wide of the target.
After 13 minutes Wivenhoe were almost handed an opportunity as a poor kick from Street fell to Ray Catchpole on the left. Ray returned a firm shot on goal but Street had recovered to make a comfortable catch. The game’s first corner fell to Wisbech after 16 minutes but Reece Keating cleared it well. Three minutes later Ryan Brown played a square ball to Liam Dadds who tried his luck from a full thirty yards out, but the ball cannoned off a defender on the edge of the box. There was a scare for the Dragons two minutes after that as Ed Butcher lost possession and the Fenman broke away quickly. The pacey Ogbonna got into a shooting position but as Tom Cutts challenged him he screwed his shot wide.
The game was even with Wivenhoe not at all overawed by their table-topping opponents. It was a bit rotten then when on 24 minutes Tom Cutts slipped near the centre circle allowing Dubi Ogbonna to dispossess him and run through on goal before rolling an angled shot past Adam Wilding to put Wisbech ahead. On 28 minutes the useful Lunn made a run in from the right and fired over in similar manner to his earlier effort, but Wivenhoe responded well. On the half hour a good passing move found Ed Butcher on the edge of the box; he turned and attempted to curl a shot into the far top corner but the ball went just too high. However, the Dragons regained possession from the goal kick and Michael Schofield sent a searching ball to the far post. Ray Catchpole brought the ball down and found Ed Butcher at the edge of the six yard box who looked destined to score, but his shot was blocked on the goal line. It looked like a brilliant opportunity had been lost but within a minute another cross found Michael Schofield free on the left of the goal and he grabbed the equaliser scoring from an acute angle and no more than seven yards out.
Wisbech came back at the Dragons who failed to pick up a wide player at a free kick allowing him a run and shot across goal. Tom Cutts was then robbed by Lunn who ran on and shot wide form eight yards. On 39 minutes Wivenhoe won their first corner but Fairweather cleared it unchallenged. The half ended with Wisbech on the attack as first Adam Wilding collected a near post cross at the feet of Ogbonna but then he misjudged a punt forward allowing Millson to leave him stranded at the edge of the box. Millson chased the ball to the by-line but happily went for laughs instead of the low cross as he fell over an the ball rolled out harmlessly for a goal-kick.
It had been an entertaining first half and although Wisbech had been given a handful of chances, mostly through slips and errors, Wivenhoe were well worth the even scoreline. Much of the game was played in midfield where Wivenhoe matched the Fenman, but despite having just Ed Butcher up front the Dragons had managed to carry some threat in the final third of the field. The second-half however was to be different and whilst the Dragons still matched Wisbech in midfield, they lacked any sort of penetration and failed to register a single shot.
Wisbech began the half on the offensive and within a minute of the re-start Reid met a cross from the left, but it simply bounced off him into Adam Wilding’s arms. But that was all the Fenman could manage until the 56th minute when they earned a corner which was played short but provided no threat. On 58 minutes however a long ball into the box found Adam Millson who got behind Adam Wilding and evaded both Tom Cutts and Ben Parkin to guide the ball home from the corner of the six-yard box. 2-1 bummer.
The Dragons were perhaps unfortunate to be behind but their lack of attacking play inevitably led to pressure on their own defence although in fact Wisbech were not creating many chances themselves. The Fenmen won another corner on 69 minutes as Tom Cutts blocked a shot, but Spafford headed over. Then, a minute later, Ogbonna used his lightning pace to chase a punt over the top; he had only Adam Wilding to beat but shot tamely past the near post. Generally Wivenhoe looked quite strong at the back and on 71 minutes Ben Parkin showed this to good effect as he and Spafford raced each other for the ball. Ben was slightly ahead and as he closed in on the ball he checked his run; Spafford ran into him and went flying, bouncing off Ben as if he’d stepped on a hidden trampoline.
With just over a quarter of an hour to go Tim Dennis replaced Ryan Brown and went up front alongside Ed Butcher as Wivenhoe searched for another equaliser. Sadly no real improvement came with most moves breaking down at the edge of the penalty area, if they got that far. Wisbech looked more likely to score a third and on 85 minutes a good passing move between the two Ogbonna’s, Toby having replaced Gale, ended with a shot over the bar from Reid. Substitute Jimson shot past the post from distance and then Dubi Ogbonna ran onto another long ball over the top, but from no more than 8 yards he merely tapped the ball into Adam Wilding’s hands. Millson and Dubi Ogbonna again also missed the target as the game entered time added on. With 92 minutes gone Michael Schofield made a fine clearance after another good run and shot from Lunn but the Fenman retained the ball and the bulky looking Jimson displayed consummate economy of effort as he back-heeled in a low cross from six yards to make it 3-1.
The goal was the last action of the game and whilst they had lost again, the Dragons had put in a decent performance against one of the strongest clubs in the league. As so often is the case, the failure to attack the opposition enough had meant the ball spent too long in the Wivenhoe half and invariably that eventually leads to goals being conceded. Although Wisbech’s football was no better than Wivenhoe’s they are a more experienced team and in the skilful Lunn and quick Ogbonna had two players always capable of unsettling the defence, if they’d been playing for Wivenhoe the score might have been the other way round.