Monday 25 August 2003 - Avenue Stadium - kick off 3.00pm Dr Martens Premier Division

With five players missing through injury it was always going to be an uphill struggle for City but they almost made light work of this disadvantage with just five minutes gone. Andy Taylor, handed a first start after his impressive substitute appearance against Crawley two days earlier, sent a teasing cross toward the far post. Frankie Bennett got in ahead of Walker only to see Ormerod turn his header over the bar. This turned out to be as close as City would come for a long time. Town’s excellent passing game on the fast Avenue Stadium pitch soon began to stretch them. Keeler’s long range effort just cleared the bar and then the same player had a shot blocked on the line by Adam Howarth after Mark Bryant has failed to claim a cross under pressure from Tubbs. It looked only a matter of time before the home side took the lead. Scott Hendy was forced into another goal-line clearance on 20 minutes, Shepherd this time the unfortunate player. Hendy and Bennett both received yellow cards as City resulted to stopping Dorchester any way they could. The last close call of the first half saw Holmes send a shot inches wide.

Any hope the second half would see a change in their fortunes was soon dispelled as from the re-start Keeler broke free down the left. His low cross looked certain to pick out an unmarked Shepherd only for Howarth to produce a perfectly timed interception. Keeler then cracked a free-kick wide and the Hann’s low cross just evaded three incoming Dorchester attackers. Having rode their luck for over an hour City almost grabbed a shock lead on 65 minutes. Steve Tweddle’s cross picked out Cleverley and his header looked goalbound before Ormerod’s finger-tip intervention. Shepherd cleared the loose ball off the line. This was a wake-up call for Town and ten minutes later they took the lead. Andy Williams conceded an unnecessary corner that Browne reached ahead of Bryant to head home. City reacted by throwing on teenager Steve Bridges and it was his cross that should have led to an equalising goal. It found Cleverley 12 yards out with the goal gaping but incredibly he side footed wide of the far post. Dorchester were now looking nervous and had Howarth’s point-blank header from Drew Shore’s free kick been a yard to either side of Ormerod they would have punished for their failure to put the game beyond City. The last close-call came with a minute remaining as Josh Jefferies got ahead of his marker from Bennett’s pass. He delayed his shot and went down under Walker’s challenge but the penalty appeals were half-hearted at best and City were left to reflect on their first defeat of the season. It was fully deserved.