PHIL Simkin has admitted that he is worried about the effect Saturday’s “demoralising” defeat at the hands of Bournemouth will have on his players.

The Dorchester Town boss always knew the pre-season friendly against the Cherries was going to be one-sided, but even he didn’t see an 11-0 scoreline coming.

Simkin’s men were played off the park by the Championship outfit in a fixture that was little more than a procession from start to finish.

Off the pitch, the game, which attracted a crowd of more than 900, would have been fairly lucrative for the Magpies, but whether it was worth it from the players’ point of view is another matter.

Reflecting on the match, Simkin said: “I appreciate them coming down, and I appreciate everything they’ve done for us, but that game hasn’t done us a great deal of good.

“It was a good thing for us financially because we had a good crowd in, but football-wise it hasn’t helped us much.

“It’s demoralising and something we’re going to have to put behind us.

“The only thing I’m worried about is that it has demoralised our lads.

“Confidence is a fragile thing, and even though they (Bournemouth) are who they are, it stills hurts.

“Results in friendlies do matter to a certain extent, and they do when you lose 11-0.”