Bees pay penalty as Boro hit back

ROBIN Townsend was left frustrated at St Mary’s Field after his Bridport side threw away another two points in the Magna Dorset Premier League.

Despite being below-par for most of the afternoon, the Bees had more than enough chances to win this game comfortably but poor finishing cost them dear again as second-bottom Poole Borough profited from a controversial penalty decision in added-time.

Townsend said: “First of all I take full responsibility for our poor preparation and set up on the day.

“Mark Lock was late to the game due to work commitments which meant I was left on my own and it proved very difficult.

“I apologise to the players for that and promise them that will never happen again.

“As for the game itself, our first-half performance was probably the worst I have ever seen.

“One or two were out there doing it but the rest of them were just going through the motions.

“Despite that though, we were still much better than Poole and once again had we taken more of our chances we would have been away and gone.

“Instead we came in with a slender 2-1 lead and although we got a bit of a response from the lads at the start of the second half we soon went back to how we were before the break.”

He went on to add: “Had I paid to watch it I think I would have asked for my money back but there were still plenty of incidents with two sending offs, one for each side, and a debatable late penalty.

“Chris Herbst scored a great free-kick to put us 3-2 up with 10 minutes to go and from there we should have seen the game out but two minutes later the same player got in an altercation with one of their lads and got sent off for putting him in a headlock.

“There was no excuse for his actions and he could have no complaints at all but just four minutes later it was 10 versus 10 when one of their players also received his marching orders for kicking out.

“From there it looked like we would hold on but in the closing stages we lost the ball from a throw-in, which allowed one of their lads to bear down on goal.

“Jamie Fry came out and made no contact with the lad, who overran the ball, but the referee judged it to be a penalty and told Jamie he had given it for the intent to make a foul.

“I have never heard that before and the decision cost us but like I said we should have seen the game out beforehand.”

It was the third time in succession at home that the Bees had drawn after being in a winning position and Townsend’s disappointment was all too evident.

He added: “The lads have got to learn to concentrate for the full 90 minutes.

“We keep telling them the same things but they don’t appear to be taking it on board and it is extremely frustrating.

“Our job is to find players that are going to learn and step up to the first team, so unless the players start switching on and listening, we may have to look at giving a few of the younger ones in the third team a chance.”

Carl Bulman and the returning Paul Fellows grabbed the Bees’ other goals while Sam Coakes, Luke Pidgley and Marc Jackson replied for Poole.

Bees: Fry, Stordy, A Clarke, Day, Cummings (Fellows 65), Fleet, McAllister (Steele 65), C Bulman, Herbst, Gale, G Bulman. Sub not used: Scovell.