ALAN Walker-Harris reckons Dorchester Town have to be more aggressive as a defensive unit.

The Magpies’ keeper, pictured, has the perfect vantage point from which to assess his side’s shortcomings, and he feels they are too “passive” during matches.

“I don’t think it’s a secret that we haven’t been defending well all season,” he said. “I think we invite teams on to us a bit too much.

“We are passive and often on the back foot, worrying about making mistakes or choosing the wrong option.

“We need to get on the front foot, be more aggressive in our defending, and start taking pride in making tackles.

“I’ve always taken pride in keeping clean sheets and I take conceding goals as personal insults.”

Walker-Harris described last weekend’s 6-5 defeat by St Neots as “like a basketball game”, unlike any other he had been involved in before.

The visit of Paulton Rovers to the Avenue this Saturday gives the Magpies the opportunity to put that setback at St Neots behind them – and for Walker-Harris, it is all down to the squad to get Dorchester away from the lower reaches of the league.

“People were expecting us to do a lot better than we have been, we all were,” he added.

“I said it was going to be a tough season but I thought we would be doing a lot better than we are.

“It’s ultimately down to us as players and how we approach it – we need to dog it out.”

Meanwhile, shareholders will be balloted at tonight’s AGM to determine whether they want to start the process of converting the Magpies to a one member, one vote Community Benefit Society, which would then pave the way for Dorchester Town becoming a community-owned club.

*Former Magpies Dan Cann and Micky Hubbard have joined Wessex League sides Blackfield & Langley and Winchester City respectively.