BEES’ chief Trevor Senior was dumbfounded by the fact Hallen managed to keep a clean sheet and snatch a win against his side at the Hallen Centre.

Striker Tom Richardson had all of four opportunities for Bridport to take the lead as they dominated in the opening period. He saw a header that was cleared off the line among other opportunities that failed to find the net.

Jamie Symes also has numerous chances to get his name on the scoresheet, as well as frontman Warren Byerley, and Matt Morley was constantly causing the home side strife down the right hand side.

“We have seen it so many times in football, we absolutely battered them in the first half,” Senior told Echosport.

“We had chances to be three, four or five up.

“I said at half-time that we would kick ourselves if we didn’t get three points, we made them look poor in the first half because we played really well.

“The second half was much the same, we didn’t look quite as dominant but they never really caused us any problems, we were taking the game to them.”

But for all of their control, Bridport were hit with a second-half sucker-punch 15 minutes from time.

After Morley hit a 25-yard shot that was well saved by the home goalkeeper, Hallen were awarded a dubious free-kick within shooting range.

The resulting strike took a deflection which wrong-footed Ashley Weeks in the Bees’ net and condemned Senior’s men to a defeat.

Jamie Filkins then spurned a golden opportunity at the death as his shot at the back post bounced into the turf and looped over the bar.

Senior added: “That free-kick was the only shot they had on target and unfortunately Ash could do nothing with it, it was so annoying.

“We threw men forward at the end to try and get a point when really we should have been home and hosed with all three.”

Bees: Weeks, Condliffe, Morley, Clarke, C Senior, Ry Hayter, J Filkins, Wise (A Symes 73), Richardson (Rh Hayter 65), Byerley, J Symes (Evans 54).

Man of the match: Jamie Filkins

Attendance: 52