MAGPIES’ chief Mark Jermyn believes assistant Nick Crittenden should have been awarded a 55th minute goal in Dorchester Town’s stalemate with Dunstable Town on Saturday.

Veteran winger Crittenden chased down a loose ball and conjured up what seemed like something from nothing.

He somehow managed to direct the ball into the Duns’ net after a ricochet from an almost impossibly acute angle but Weymouth-based assistant-referee Damian Pelka had deemed the ball had gone out of play and awarded a goal kick to the visitors.

Speaking about the incident, Jermyn told Echosport: “We all thought it was a valid goal.

“You could see from the reaction of their defenders, the reaction of Nick and the supporters, and you know it’s a goal.

“Sometimes officials make decisions when they aren’t totally sure and they edge on the side of caution.

“He (Pelka) could have thought to himself for a couple of seconds in his own mind and then made his decision but he stuck his flag up.

“But they had a goal disallowed in the first half so you could say they cancelled each other out.”

Jermyn added: “Even if that was given, I probably would have had the same conversation with the players that we have to be a bit better and cuter around the box.”

Similarly in their goalless draw with Frome last week, the Avenue boss was left puzzled as to how his side did not find the net on at least one occasion.

He said: “With all our positivity we have to get results and on Saturday we didn’t, which was frustrating.

“They came with a game plan to sit behind the ball, you could see that and they were waiting for us to break them down.

“We spoke to our centre-halves at half-time and said we didn’t want them to miss out the midfield.

“We were in our own half and it then ended up in their keeper’s hands too many times. That’s not like us, it’s not how we play.

“It’s two games now (including Frome) and, in my mind, it’s four points dropped.”