DORCHESTER Town boss Steve Thompson blamed a succession of missed first-half chances as the Magpies drew 1-1 with Wimborne Town in their Evo-Stik Southern Premier South tussle at the Clayson Stadium.

Tom Blair claimed his sixth goal in six games when putting the hosts 1-0 up after eight minutes, before Aaron Rodriguez was foiled three times and Ben Seymour twice missed the target.

Wimborne gradually grew into the half and deservedly equalised when the slippery Luke Burbidge teed up Luke Holmes to head home two minutes before the break.

Burbidge thought he had scored in the second half with a sensational strike from out wide, rattling post and bar, but the officials waved play on – to the winger’s frustration.

Speaking to Echosport, Thompson expressed his disappointment at not cashing in on the numerous opportunities created.

He said: “I think that’s when we had our real golden spell, the first 30 minutes. We did get the one goal and usually that’s a good sign. If the second had come it would’ve been very difficult for Wimborne.

“However, when they equalised they went into half-time on a high. Second half was pretty even, we probably had most of the play and they looked dangerous on the counter-attack.

“I thought first-half we were the better team and should’ve come in up. I’m disappointed we haven’t won the game but at the end of the day I think Wimborne will be as well.

“They’ve got the controversy over whether the ball went in or not (from Burbidge’s shot) but I’m not going to get involved in that, I don’t know whether it went in.”

With Cameron Murray (toe), Harry Kite (ankle) and Ross Carmichael (hamstring) all absent, Thompson was satisfied in part with the result.

“We’ve got a lot of players out injured. I don’t think the players lacked effort but at the end of the day we weren’t quite good enough to go on and win it.

“We’ve played Wimborne four times now this season – two wins, two draws – that’s something. They haven’t beaten us this season but it’s been pretty scary on a couple of occasions.

“I felt we tested their keeper a little bit more second half, we missed chances in the first half. We didn’t test them a little bit with a few efforts in the second half.

“One part of me is pleased that we’ve managed to overcome the injuries and still pick up a result, but the other part of me is disappointed because I feel we should be winning these games.

“At the end of the day you’ve got to be good enough to do it and we weren’t good enough to get that win,” he said.

Wimborne were Dorchester’s eighth opponents in a crowded December schedule and Thompson hinted tiredness might be an explanation for a jaded second-half display.

He said: “We’ve played Saturday-Tuesday for the last four or five weeks. Some players are very tired, some have played nearly every minute – Billy Lowes, Neil Martin.

“A few others who’ve played every minute are out and I suppose injury does catch up with you for that reason as well.

“Harry, Cameron and Ross were all playing in those games when we had the good run. They’ve played a lot of football and it’s caught up with a few.”