A 2nd half Calvin Brooks goal saw the Whites come away from the short trip to Winchester City with all 3 points and local bragging rights. The postponement of the Hayes and Yeading game meant it had been 16 days since Salisbury last took to the field and manager Brian Dutton made 2 changes from the defeat to Beaconsfield Town; Devon Arnold replacing Lucas Tomlinson and Jerry Lawrence returning from injury in place of Josh Wakefield, who has left the club since the Whites were last in action.
On a cold afternoon in Hampshire, it was Winchester who made the brighter start. After just 6 minutes a long ball from keeper Charlie Philpott found Henry Brooks on the right and he cut inside before unleashing a low shot that Gerard Benfield was able to deal with. 5 minutes later the home side threatened again; Callum Chugg finding space at a corner but his loopy header was easy for Benfield to claim. On a poor quality pitch, it took until just before the 20-minute mark for Salisbury to threaten; Arnold unable to get any real power behind his shot before a minute later Brandon Goodship fired a freekick just over the bar. After 24 minutes Benfield was again called into action, proving equal to the task to deny Max Smith following another long pass from goalkeeper Philpott. Around the half-hour mark, Goodship and Lerone Plummer exchanged half chances for their respective sides before on the stroke of half time Arnold and Marvin Brooks combined to feed Goodship, his low drilled shot drawing a good save from Philpott and Dan Fitchett being beaten to the follow up before referee Adrian Harris blew the whistle for half time.
The 2nd half saw Salisbury come out with real purpose and it took them only 4 minutes of the half to grab what proved to be the only goal of the game. Goodship’s corner was swung in and with Josh Carmichael getting a flick on, Calvin Brooks was on hand at the back post to tap in from close range for what is becoming something of a trademark goal. Just a minute later it could, and probably should, have been 2 but Arnold ballooned the ball over from 8 yards filling good work down the right involving Fitchett and Brooks. With Salisbury piling on the pressure, Winchester were indebted to Brooks being in the right place on the line and clearing Brooks’s header for what would have been his 2nd goal, before again a Whites player put the ball over the bar when well-placed; Fitchett the culprit this time from Marvin Brooks’s cutback. As the half went on the chances for Salisbury dried up; Winchester battling hard to get back in the game, albeit unable to create much to really test Benfield. With the clock ticking towards 85 mins substitute Joshua Bertie broke free but was only able to fire the ball high and wide when well placed before, with 2 minutes go, Benfield was called into action for the 1st time in the half. Winchester’s Brooks broke down the right-hand side and his cross was inadvertently diverted goalwards by Sam Roberts’ attempted clearance; the Whites keeper though was able to claw it away and maintain his clean sheet. With the game deep into injury time there was still time for a 3rd Salisbury player to blaze over from close range; substitute Tomlinson the man in question this time, although it didn’t matter to the final result and saw the Whites come home with a hard-fought and deserved 3 points.
Salisbury are back in action next Monday 2nd January when they welcome Poole Town to the Ray Mac for the 1st game of 2023, kick-off 3 pm.
Team: Benfield, Brooks C, Gillela, Roberts, Kherbouche, Carmichael, Lawerence, Arnold D(Lee), Brooks M(Tomlinson), Goodship, Fitchett.
Unused Suns: Gunstone-Gray, Roocroft, Arnold C.
