Having put in what Marc deemed “one of our best performances of the season” at Hampton on Tuesday, Wanderers named an unchanged eleven as we journeyed to the lively Raymond McEnhill Stadium to face Salisbury.

The hosts endured a testing opening ten minutes as we were quick to assert control of the game. Set up in a resolute 3-5-2, the Whites were happy to sit back but pressed aggressively with their two forwards. Nonetheless, Wanderers controlled possession early on.

Josh Taylor almost finished off a brilliant team move, firing an early warning shot just past the post.

Barely a minute later, Alfie Rutherford returned to goalscoring form when he found himself with space to shoot from the right side of the box. He finished with great composure, presenting Wanderers an early advantage. 10’ 0-1

Despite continuing to enjoy possession and creating a series of corners after our early goal, it was the hosts who were presented with the next big chance of the game. A great dribble from the Whites’ Jordan Ragguette saw him beat Matt Briggs and release an effort which whistled past Harrison Foulkes’ post.

Salisbury were keen to build on this momentum and sustained a spell of possession of their own. A show of dominant defending led by Jordan Norville-Williams and Dan Gallagher allowed Wanderers to reach the half-hour mark with their lead still intact.

33 minutes in, a piercing pass to beat Salisbury’s press from Norville-Williams followed by a sensational dummy from Carter presented Jimmy Muitt with a chance to cross – which caused goalkeeper Rhys Byrne some concern and rattled the bar.

Five minutes of first-half stoppage time would infuse the game with a newfound tempo which led to both teams having counterattacking chances. Salisbury’s Dan Pritchett found himself in behind after a long ball – but Norville-Williams demonstrated his excellent recovery pace to dispossess the number nine.

It was then Rutherford who took advantage of the game opening up, as our number ten tried his luck from the edge of the box and fired a driven effort into the bottom left corner. 45+3’ 0-2.

Half Time 0-2

Having switched to a 4-3-3, the hosts restarted the game with a new attacking impetus. A good team move presented Noah Coppin with a chance to shoot, but Foulkes was equal to it, and Wanderers rode the early Whites wave well.

Neither team was able to assert control up to the hour mark; the game’s momentum was stifled by persistent fouls and a midfield battle with no clear winner. Nonetheless, both sets of fans remained in full voice – with the 150 or so travellingfans in particularly high spirits.

Rutherford was presented with a chance for his hat-trick in the 64th minute, after a team move orchestrated by excellent link-up play between Muitt, Carter and Josh Taylor offered our number ten a volley from twelve yards out. The effort flew narrowly over the bar but was a sign of things to come as we enjoyed a ten-minute spell of testing the Salisbury defence, which bent but refused to break.

As we reached the final fifteen minutes, Wanderers became content to defend what they had. The hosts were able to take control and put our defence under pressure. Two excellent blocks from Gallagher, as well as a terrific reflex save from Foulkes after Coppin found himself one-on-one, were key in protecting our advantage.

Wanderers’ orange wall looked impenetrable, and as the game entered injury time, the hosts grew increasingly desperate. We saw out a late corner which proved to be Salisbury’s last chance.

Our professional performance sees Wanderers remain top of the National League South, with attentions already turning to Tonbridge – who we host at Meadowbank on Tuesday evening.

Full Time 0-2

Match report by Charlie Partridge.