DORCHESTER Town player-manager Mark Jermyn says he wants his players to really feel the pain of a defeat so it makes them stronger going forward.

A solitary Ashley Sammons goal was enough to give Redditch all three points at the Avenue on Saturday, giving them a second Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division win over the Magpies this season.

Jermyn thought a draw would have been a fair result but for him it is about how the Dorchester team can use such a loss to ultimately get them to where Redditch are, pushing for a play-off place.

“I said to the players after the game that I want results like these to hurt them,” Jermyn said.

“I want them to have that gut-wrenching feeling when they lose because it will take us into the next game with that extra drive to get something out of it.

“Sometimes people can forget about games after they’ve lost, I don’t want that, I want my players to get wound up by the fact we’ve lost and propel them into next week.”

He added: “You can see why Redditch are nearer the top of the league.

“They’ve got quality players, they are well drilled and organised, and they are in a place where we want to be.

“We want to be in contention next season and have teams to look at us in the same way.

“When you’re at the top of the league you have that cutting edge and sometimes things go for you.

“Having said that, Alan Walker-Harris only had about two shots to save and they didn’t have many chances.

“I don’t feel that we deserved to lose the game but at the same time we didn’t really deserve to win it. I think a draw would have been a fair result.

“But we just made a few poor decisions and misplaced a few passes when we were on the ball.

“There were a couple of mistakes in the first half that led to them scoring and we identified those.

“Their lad scored from about 40 yards and no matter who you are playing against you can’t let anybody have a free shot from that distance.

“My players now know that we can’t let things like that happen.

“But we’ll get there, it’s just a matter of taking small steps.”

Saturday also saw striker Lewis Horsburgh make his first-team debut for the Magpies after a four-goal haul for the reserves a few days earlier.

But against a big Redditch defence, he and fellow forward Ben Watson found it hard going.

On Horsburgh’s performance, Jermyn added: “Lewis played himself into the team having done so well with the reserves in the week.

“We felt it was only right to give him an opportunity.

“He is a small guy and I think he just needs to find his own body weight.

“Ben Watson is the same height but he knows how to shift his body weight and back into players, and I think that’s what Lewis needs to do when he finds his feet.

“He’s sharp and looks tidy on the ball, but we do need a bit more than that.”

He continued: “It was extremely hard for Ben, Lewis and Bradley Trabuck because when the ball was in the air they we just waiting for the second balls.

“Their lad at the back must have been 6ft 4ins and there was no way they were going to beat him in the air.”

Jermyn should be okay for the visit of Frome Town on Saturday after rolling his ankle in the second half against Redditch.

And he reckons that Lewis Morgan has a good chance of being in contention having missed the last two league games through injury.