Match report: Lymington Town shock second-placed Wessex League Division One side Frimley Green with thrilling 4-3 victory
After a late pitch inspection, Lymington Town shocked second-placed Frimley Green thanks to a Connor Lopez hat-trick on Saturday.
Lymington had come into the match with a three-game winless streak, but they deserved to beat their high-flying visitors.
A delighted Lymington Town manager, Ash Buckland, said: “I’m proud of the team’s performance. Winning 4-3 against a strong Frimley Green side, currently second in the league, is a testament to the hard work and determination of our players, and everything we have been working on at training and for weeks.
“Each member of the squad showed grit and commitment and worked really hard for each other. Some of our attacking passing football was great to watch.
“Obviously, everyone is talking about the goals that Connor [Lopez] is scoring, and yes, he has been great and certainly knows where the net is, but today, our support play and balls into the box by our midfielders, Will Johnson, Alex Morris, Callum Taylor, Aaron Christie and Ben Morris was excellent.”
In one of the few local games to go ahead, thanks to Storm Bert, Lymington made an excellent start, and Lopez terrorised the visitor’s defence right away. The in-form man got his head on the ball first and found the back of the net via a deflection off the defender after five minutes.
Nick Thumwood restored parity for Frimley, but Aaron Christie found the back of the net for Lymington after 26 minutes.
Around the hour mark, Lopez found his groove again, bagging two goals in four minutes, leaving Lymington 4-1 to the good.
However, just four minutes later, Frimley had a lifeline in the form of a penalty. Keeper Nico Trojanowski dove the right way and saved with a strong palm, but he could do nothing to stop the follow-up effort.
Victor King struck in the 73rd minute to set up a nervy finish, but Buckland’s boys would not be denied, and they dug in to take all three points.
Buckland added: “Looking ahead to next week, we need to focus on tightening our defensive tactics, ensuring we maintain concentration throughout the full 90 minutes.
“Our next game against Cove will be a challenge as they are just above us, so a win away would be great to close the gap on all the teams above us.
“The support from our fans at the Sports Ground has been tremendous and plays a vital role in driving the lads forward. The players are determined to build on today’s success as we move deeper into the season and up to Christmas.”
Lymington Town travel to face Cove on Saturday at 3pm.
Lymington Town: N. Trojanowski, L. Le Moignan, R. Sesay, L. Crozier, A. Partridge, A. Morris, B. Morris, C. Lopez, A. Christie, W. Johnson. Subs: K. Kwachukwu, J. Defries, C. Taylor, M. MCaulay.
