Riding a wave of excellent form, Dorkinian 2s travelled to face their bogey team, Shene OGs, hoping to keep their title charge alive. Having failed to beat them in their last encounter, they knew this would be a stern test—and it proved exactly that.

Dorkinian struggled to find their usual rhythm against a disciplined Shene defence but still edged the first half. Goddard had a golden chance, only to be denied by the keeper, while Teague, Scovell, and Charman also saw efforts go begging. But just before the break, Dorkinian were hit with a sucker punch, conceding from a corner—an all-too-familiar issue for the backline.

The second half began with renewed intensity, and Dorkinian soon found their breakthrough—Goddard pressed the keeper into an error, and Teague coolly finished from just inside the box to make it one-one. At that point, the momentum was all Dorkinians', with Harcombe rattling the underside of the bar and Scovell brought down in the box, only for the referee to decide otherwise and award a free kick instead of a penalty. That decision proved costly, as Shene hit back from another corner and, after a tight offside call, went two-one up. Despite pushing hard for an equalizer, defensive shape was lost in the late stages, and Shene capitalized with a third goal to seal the match.

A frustrating day in an incredibly tight league, but plenty of lessons to take forward. Dorkinian 2s will regroup and refocus as they continue their title pursuit.

By Oli Goddard