Bees’ failings to the fore in finale

8:37am Wednesday 30th April 2008

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BRIDPORT concluded a lacklustre season with defeat at Longwell Green Sports last night in a match that typified the shortcomings which have plagued the Dorset club's efforts in Toolstation Western League Division One.

Showing glimpses of class and penetration all too briefly, the Bees competed for large parts of the contest but were undone by sloppy defending at the back and erratic finishing at the opposite end of the pitch.

The visitors started disastrously and after a goal had been disallowed inside the opening five minutes, eighth-placed Longwell gained the lead legitimately when striker Dave Parnell pounced on a through ball and slotted past stand-in keeper Mark Cuff.

It would have been worse had Cuff not saved Neil Rosslee's tame penalty after captain Darren Stewart had clumsily brought down the marauding Ryan Gardner, who bypassed three players before being felled.

The Bees gradually asserted themselves on proceedings, with Chris Skinner, fresh from his four-goal haul for the Reserves at the weekend, orchestrating much of his side's attacking ventures with skill and direction. However, any chances that the visitors carved out were wasted, with Adam Stordy and Ashley Clarke culpable.

A 1-0 deficit was manageable though, and Bridport began the second period brightly with Darren Lock capping the best move of the match with a shot that flashed just wide.

Longwell, surprised by their opponents' resurgence, responded with a barrage of high balls to test the Bees' notoriously fragile defence.

Keeper Cuff produced an outstanding stop from Parnell's thunderbolt 15 minutes into the second half, but the pressure the hosts exerted eventually told when Stu Mountford capitalised on a miscued clearance to rifle home and settle his side's nerves.

Before Bridport had time to recover, they were further behind when an innocuous long ball was latched on to by Parnell, who shrugged off the challenge from Stewart and poked past the onrushing Cuff for his second.

Caretaker-boss Mark Lock, in possibly his final game at the club's helm, was forced to bring on himself to replace Russell Legg, with his depleted side without the suspended Shane Evans, as well as the quartet of Jon Ritchie, Ryan Hayter, Tom Coggins and Lee Cleal for varying reasons.

The final whistle heralded Longwell's deserved victory and signalled and the 24th league defeat of a disappointing campaign for Bridport, whose search for a permanent successor to Royston Davies begins in earnest.

Bees: M Cuff, Stordy (McClements 66), Symes, Fellows, Stewart, D Lock, Wise, Legg (M Lock 83), Condliffe, Clarke, Skinner Booked: Stewart Attendance: 62 Man of the Match (sponsored by Bridport Co-op): Chris Skinner April player of the month (sponsored by Bridport Co-op): Darren Lock