CARETAKER-BOSS Stuart Heath has admitted that bringing players who were not fully fit into the Magpies’ squad for the defeat by Truro was a gamble he had to take.

Striker Ben Joyce and midfielder Nick Crittenden both returned to action on Tuesday after spells out with hamstring problems, but they couldn’t prevent a fifth reverse in six for the county town club.

That said, Heath was pleased to see Joyce last the full 90 minutes, while Crittenden was a 66th-minute replacement for Kyle Critchell.

With a relatively tight squad and a team on a poor run of form Heath knows how important it is for the Magpies to have their most experienced stars playing – even if they are sometimes not quite at the peak of fitness.

“We had some players back and, at times, it showed,” he said. “But when you’re playing an experienced and strong side like Truro you need your experience on the pitch.

“We had three or four out there that weren’t fully fit but we felt it was worth the gamble.

“We certainly gave a better performance than we did on Saturday but again we fell short and weren’t quite good enough – that has been the story of our season really.

“We’re just missing a little bit of quality at certain times in certain areas during the game, especially in our attacking play.

“The squad is not fully fit at the moment and I think that shows, but the players tried their best.

“That’s all I asked of them and that’s all I ever ask of them.”

Commenting further on Joyce and Crittenden, he added: “We’ve missed them.

“They’re not fully fit, that much was clear, and it is a gamble to play them because there’s every chance that they may go again.

“I thought Ben Joyce lasted the game really well.

“We’re playing with a small squad at the moment, and a less than fully fit squad.

“I think that has shown in the last couple of games and when you haven’t got a fully fit squad the lack of experience can come.

“We just haven’t got the resources at the moment to bring people in.”

An FA Cup tie at Yate Town awaits Dorchester on Saturday and Heath will be keen to avoid a repeat of last season when the Magpies fell at the first hurdle to Shortwood United.

But with the tragic passing of kitman Alex Legge, Heath is hoping the players can deliver a performance he would have been proud of.

“We’ve got to go to Yate on Saturday and we’ve got to do Alex proud,” he said.

“I want the players to get their heads together in the next couple of days, get some decent rest, and get a performance and result that Alex would be proud of.”