DORCHESTER Town boss Steve Thompson was adamant that Tiverton Town “deserved” to win their FA Cup second qualifying round clash at Ladysmead after watching his 10-man side fall to a 2-0 defeat.

An enthralling cup contest, played in pouring rain, conjured numerous talking points as Tiverton striker Levi Landricombe scored a penalty and had one saved, while Dorchester debutant keeper Alhaji Sesay was sent off for two bookable offences.

Thompson’s men dominated, creating several chances, after River Allen scored a 16th-minute free-kick, but could not find a way past the physical Tiverton defence.

Speaking to Echosport, Thompson insisted Dorchester could have “no complaints” about the result, despite pressuring Tivvy for long periods of the game.

He said: “I’m disappointed with the performance and obviously very disappointed with the result. I don’t think we deserved anything from the game.

“We were deservedly beaten, and that’s frustrating, annoying. After playing well last week, we haven’t played well. Tiverton deserved the victory.

“They scored two goals, had a penalty saved, they’ve hit the post, so we can have absolutely no complaints.”

Expanding on Dorchester’s chances, Thompson’s grievances fell mainly with the Magpies’ lack of creation in the second half.

He said: “We had two or three (chances), the ball went across the goal a couple of times.

“Tom Blair had a header which was well saved. I think there was one other chance, but second half – nothing. A blocked shot from Aaron Rodriguez was the total of our second-half efforts.”

Sesay endured a mixed afternoon, receiving bookings for dissent and conceding a penalty either side of superbly saving Landricombe’s 14th-minute penalty.

Having joined on Friday from Bristol City on a one-month loan deal after regular gloveman Kingsley Latham was taken ill with internal bleeding, Thompson said the Sierra Leone goalkeeper “has to learn” from his dismissal.

He said: “The first booking is more annoying because it’s a needless one for dissent, which is silly.

“Young players have to learn, we’ve got a lot of young players – he’s another and has to learn from that.

“But we’ve done nothing really as a team to win the game. Tiverton have had more chances and rightly deserved to win that tie.”

Thompson also bemoaned his side for generating “no end product” despite gaining good possession and territory in the opening 45 minutes.

“A lack of quality. We were in good positions a lot of times in the first half, maybe 10, 11, 12 times in very good positions.

“But there was no end product, or very little end product.

“That’s annoying and I’m completely frustrated because all due respect to Tiverton, they’re a team going well at the top of our league, but I think the game was there to be won.

“It wasn’t a game where ‘jeez, we’ve done well to only get beaten 2-0’, the game was there to be won. I don’t think they were on their best form, but they deserved it.

“We haven’t performed (anywhere) near well enough to win that game.”