BIGGLESWADE TOWN 4 MAGPIES 1

THIS defeat certainly wasn’t what the Magpies needed going into tomorrow's eagerly-anticipated ‘El Jurassico’ derby with Weymouth.

After the disappointing midweek reverse against Chippenham, even a draw in Bedfordshire on Saturday would have been a welcome result with which to take to the Bob Lucas Stadium.

In the end, all the visitors had to show for their efforts was a late Dan Cann consolation, the striker’s third league goal of the season.

“We didn’t do very well,” said Magpies’ boss Phil Simkin. “We defended very poorly. We had lots of possession and again found a keeper in very good form, but we were naive defending-wise.

“I thought we probably dese-rved a point but no more than that.”

It didn’t look like being Dorchester’s day from the kick-off as Lee Smith, in the Waders’ starting line up for the first time this term, opened the scoring on 10 minutes.

He was at the end of a three-man move to make it 1-0 with a neat finish past visiting keeper Alan Walker-Harris.

A flurry of attacks from the hosts followed and Smith went close with two further chances, but Simkin’s men came back into the game and they applied some pressure before half-time.

Centre-back Steve Walker, playing alongside stand-in skipper Jake Smeeton with brother Nathan missing, and Nick Crittenden both tested Biggleswade stopper Ian Brown.

Brown was having one of those days when it didn’t look like Dorchester were ever going to find a way past him.

He produced crucial saves from Cann and Smeeton early in the second half and also got his fingertips to a Jamie Gleeson effort.

However, it was the Waders who got the all-important second goal of the encounter 57 minutes in.

Reed, set free by a pin-point pass from Jordan Davis, smashed a shot high into the roof of the Dorchester net.

Sensing a change needed to be made, Simkin brought on Alex Godfrey and Luke Woodland for Sam Lanahan and Will Agbo.

The visitors, already downhearted after conceding a second, then had the stuffing really knocked out of them when that man Reed netted again following a through ball from Smith.

Although it was too late, Cann eventually beat Brown having broken the Waders’ offside trap and slotted the ball home.

Just to rub salt into the wound, replacement Zane Banton, on loan at the Carlsberg Stadium from Luton Town, jinked his way past three defenders and slid the ball in to make the scoreline more emphatic.

Waders: Brown, York, Coulson (Iwediuno), Mawer, Key, Allinson, Daniel, Rees (Banton), Reed, Smith, Davis. Subs not used: Gentle, Farrell

Magpies: Walker-Harris, Hanger, Buckley, Smeeton, S Walker, Lanahan (Godfrey), Crittenden, Gleeson, Cann, Agbo (Woodland), D Smith. Subs not used: Brookes, Rolls, Murphy

Referee: Adam Crysell (Braintree)

Attendance: 135