THERE were no prizes for guessing what Mark Jermyn and his Dorchester players needed to work on at training last night in readiness for tomorrow’s trip to Hungerford (3pm) – defending set-pieces.

Three of the four goals the Magpies conceded in their defeat to Cirencester on Tuesday emanated from corners, while the other was a direct free-kick that beat keeper Alan Walker-Harris.

In the main, boss Jermyn has been pleased with his side’s two Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division performances so far, but he knows they must defend set-pieces better.

“Defending set-pieces should be a given,” he said. “Unfortunately on Tuesday there was an element of doubt as to where people should be.

“That was frustrating because we had already planned for it and made people aware.

“People knew where they should have been but didn’t take that on board.

“There’s no rhyme or reason for it, and you can’t instruct everybody every minute of the game.

“We played well but gave away too many free-kicks and corners, and unfortunately that’s where we came unstuck.

“By and large, most of the players have done well so far, it’s just a case of people switching off at vital times.

“The way we conceded goals wasn’t great so we’ve got to work to improve on those areas of our game.”

New signing Bradley Tarbuck is set to be involved tomorrow, while Dorchester have no fresh injury worries after Tuesday’s 4-3 loss.

“I think they (Hungerford) have brought in a couple of players and we are well aware of what their strengths are,” he added. “They are strong in the centre of the park and have got pace out wide.”