DORCHESTER Town manager Steve Thompson listed an “awful start” to the Magpies’ 4-1 Evo-Stik Southern Premier South loss at Harrow Borough as a big factor in their defeat.

Despite a promising opening, Dorchester conceded three goals in 10 minutes as Ryan Moss, Anthony O’Connor and a Callum Rose own goal put Boro 3-0 up.

Although leading scorer Luke Winsper notched his sixth goal of the season in the 49th minute, Dorchester saw loanee goalkeeper Alhaji Sesay sent off for a second time in his now expired one-month spell for kicking an opponent.

Harrow capitalised late on as Dylan Kearney slotted past interim gloveman Rose in injury-time to seal the Reds’ first home win of the campaign.

Speaking to Echosport, a typically candid Thompson felt he could offer “no excuses” for the result.

He said: “It was very difficult. We were 3-0 down in 23 minutes – an awful start. They had three chances and three goals, everything went in.

“We had quite a few chances first half, three or four, but again didn’t take. But no excuses, it is what it is.

“We look like we might score a goal, but don’t score a goal and unfortunately defensively we were very poor in that first half.”

At 2-0 down and with just 21 minutes played, Thompson elected to switch Ross Carmichael for right-back Kyle Egan, moving Josh Bailey from full-back to centre-half.

When asked if Carmichael had aggravated an ankle knock sustained on Tuesday in the 2-1 defeat to Taunton, Thompson said: “No he didn’t.

“I just felt that the pace was getting in behind us and I went with a little bit more pace centrally which sort of did the trick. It did seem to stabilise them.

“It could have been any one of a few but it was long balls getting in behind us and that’s why I made that decision.

“Sometimes as a manager you have to make decisions in the first half. You don’t want to have to make them – you’d like the team you put out to go and do the job, but they didn’t.

“We put Kyle on and after five minutes we did look a bit more solid.”

On Rose’s own goal, Thompson highlighted the situation as an honest attempt to clear the ball.

He said: “It was one of those. The ball flashed across the goal and Callum tried to clear it. I think there was someone behind that might have been putting it in anyway.

“It’s difficult for a centre-half to make a decision. It’s very hard to leave it when it’s right in the heart of the goal in the six-yard box.

“He didn’t and tried to clear it and it’s come off his leg and gone in. That’s the way things are going at the moment.

“I’ve been in football a long time and these things happen when you’re not having a good time. It’s not like we’ve lost six on the spin but we’ve lost two on the spin and it’s disappointing.”

He added: “We had good chances after the third goal.

“Aaron Rodriguez had a chance with his left foot, Callum had one eight yards out he half-volleyed over the bar and then Tom Blair had a good chance and shot just wide of the post.

“Luke popped up for 3-1 and we felt we might be able to get something out of it, but that wasn’t to be. It petered out a bit.”