BALTI SPORTS 1

MERE TOWN 2

BALTI Sports boss Marco Nott was buoyed by an improvement in his side’s attitude despite suffering a 2-1 defeat at home to Mere Town in the Dorset Premier League.

A late goal from Jordan Shorrocks gave the Moonrakers all three points after Balti’s Rory Zima had cancelled out Jack Twyford’s opening strike, inflicting a fourth straight league defeat on Sports.

Speaking to Echosport, Nott felt a lack of confidence was partly to blame for the loss.

He said: “It’s just the way it’s been going. Last week I hammered the lads for their attitude but I couldn’t fault that on Saturday.

“I was really impressed with how they went about it. Our attitude was fantastic, we cleared the air and put a few of the younger lads in the team.

“We just massively lacked confidence. I sensed our team was nervous which was very unlike us because we’re a fluent attacking team. It just didn’t click at all and we looked nervous on the ball.

“There was nothing in it at all, it was a tight, cagey affair. Both teams would agree that we weren’t at our best.”

Commenting on the goals Nott, who dropped brother Andy to take his place in goal, labelled Mere’s winner as a “crucial blow”.

He said: “They made the breakthrough when they went one-on-one. I saved it with my legs and there was a lad on the edge of the box who put it in the net. That was 1-0 and I feared the worst.

“But we got it together and we managed to get down the other end and create quite a lot of chances.

“Up stepped Rory Zima, who is one of the younger lads, and he scored a good goal from 18 yards out which hit the post and went in.

“Second half we had three or four very good chances to win the game and just couldn’t get the goal through a lack of quality in the final third.

“Then they made the crucial blow and scored a free header eight yards out. The lad made a good run from back to front post and put it in the far corner.

“We shouldn’t have allowed the ball to come in the box in the first place. We tried to come back but it was too late.”

Balti: M Nott, Pearce, Proffitt, Anderson, Roberts, R Zima, Devaney, McClements (Dovell 60), Preece (Kenderdine 60), Andrews (Houghton 65), Lane