Dial produced a season-best performance to thrash league leaders Wimbledon Casuals 5-1 tonight (24 March) at Alwyns Lane.

It was an awe-inspiring display from Steve Brown's side, who bounced back from a goal-down to inflict Casuals heaviest defeat since they joined the Surrey Premier County Football League in 2022.

Following Saturday’s (21 March) disappointing 4-0 defeat away to Worcester Park, Brown was pleased to welcome back Jordan Carter, Danny Taylor, Matt Bunyan and Tom Adag to the fold.

Veteran shot-stopper and goalkeeping coach Andy Rider also came in for the absent George Mead, while debutant Stephan Langley came in for the injured Jimmy Carter in a new-look back four.

For their part, Casuals were unbeaten in their past eight league and cup fixtures, and had only conceded three goals in 720 minutes of football, keeping six clean sheets in the process.

True to form, the visitors set the pace and duly took the lead when Daniel Wanyonyi managed to curl the ball over Rider and into the far corner of goal in the 10th-minute.

However, Casuals’ advantage lasted just three-minutes when Adam Bicknell latched onto a superb defensive-splitting pass from Louie Rogers before picking his spot past Adam Lee to level the proceedings.

At the other end, Rider needed to be on guard to push Liam Marshall’s freekick around the post. Matt Hinks then managed to breach The Dial backline, only to toe-poke his effort wide of the far post after Rider had done well to narrow the angle.

Wanyonyi thought that he had reinstated the visitors’ lead on the half-hour mark, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

There was nothing untoward about Dial’s response when Adag defied the laws of gravity to rise above Hinks to direct his header past Lee from eight yards in the 32nd-minute.

Carter then rifled his shot just wide while under pressure from two markers, before Dial extended their lead on the stroke of half-time after Lee misjudged the flight of James Vass’ lofted ball into the box.

Rider remained steadfast in the Dial goal when he pushed Tom Phillipson’s shot around the post four minutes after the interval.

In a bid to salvage something from the match, Ethan Williams was booked for diving on the edge of the box, after which a snap-shot from Taylor went wide at the other end of the pitch.

Bunyan then powered his header just wide from another well-flighted corner-kick from Carter midway through the second half.

Carter was in the thick of the action again for Dial’s fourth when he drilled in a low cross for Taylor to comfortably slot home at the back post in the 71st-minute. It followed some great hold-up play from Bicknell in the build-up.

Phillipson was again denied by Rider in the latter stages, as Dial continued to frustrate Casuals in the final third.

But when Harry Laflin picked out Charlie Marshall one-on-one with a defender four minutes into stoppage time, there was only likely to be one outcome. And so it proved when Marshall turned inside his marker, before unleashing a fierce shot past Lee from outside of the box to notch his eighth-goal of the season and complete the 5-1 rout.

Speaking after the match, Dial boss Brown said: “I thought the lads were excellent against a strong Wimbledon Casuals side, who moved the ball around well throughout.

“On the balance of play, both sides had an equal share of possession, but we created the better opportunities and, importantly, took our chances. I felt that we were also better mentally and physically prepared.

“There were some real standout performances from Stephan Langley, on his debut, as well as from George Frith, Louie Rogers and Jordan Carter – to name a few. However, at 39, Matt Bunyan was unbelievable alongside Stephan at the back, and was deservedly the man of the match.

“Take nothing away from Wimbledon Casuals, they are a very good footballing side and it was a great advert for non-league football at step 7. I’m proud of the boys and their performance,” he added.

DIAL SQUARE: Rider, Rogers, Vass (Hayes), Ewen, Bunyan, Langley, Carter (Cenzano), Adag (Rose-Davies), Bicknell (Marshall), Taylor (Laflin), Frith

MotM: Matt Bunyan