Terrace torment

8:53am Tuesday 12th February 2008

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Southern Counties South SHERBORNE 8 DORCHESTER 6 DORCHESTER head coach Chris Burton put his side's disappointing defeat at The Terrace down to "a lack of belief."

The county town outfit looked the better side for much of this Southern Counties South contest but a late penalty with just four minutes remaining from the hosts robbed them of victory.

Burton said: "It was very disappointing. The game was fairly even and I thought we were the slightly better side but unfortunately we just lacked the self-belief to win it.

"I think that is what happens when you have had a spell of not winning many games.

"The lads took everything they have been working on in training out on to the field but they did it in a training mentality rather than a kill the opposition off mentality.

"We were actually 6-5 up going into the final few minutes but they then won a penalty after some sustained pressure on our line and made the most of it.

"The positive thing we can take from it is that the lads did enjoy the game. They have not felt that way about a match for a long time and now the challenge is breaking that losing habit."

Jon Firkin put the visitors ahead with a penalty on ten minutes but that lead did not last long as Sherborne hit back with the game's only try which came about from a well-worked move from a five-metre line-out.

It remained 5-3 until after the break when Firkin regained Dorchester's lead with another three points. Much of the contest took place in the middle of the pitch and with the deficit a very slender one the home side mounted extreme pressure on the away side's line in the latter stages and got their reward with what turned out to be a winning penalty on 76 minutes.