BRIDPORT 0 SHEPTON MALLET 3

BRIDPORT suffered a 3-0 loss to Shepton Mallet at St Mary’s Field – the Bees’ third straight loss in the Toolstation Western League Premier Division season.

Rich Robson’s men found themselves 2-0 down early on thanks to a Jack Fillingham double – although Bridport’s defending was once more thrust under the microscope.

A free-kick paid dividends for the Mallet as a simple delivery was followed by several Bridport defenders who were lured in without winning the ball.

The resulting knockdown left assistant-manager Ryan Dovell marking three players and Fillingham duly profited to score past Scott Wells-Burr.

Shepton then earned a penalty when the Somerset side dispossessed Bridport in the final third, forcing Dovell into making a last-ditch tackle that resulted in a spot-kick.

Fillingham then stepped up to convert for 2-0.

Bridport were hesitant in front of goal and were restricted to shots from distance, with Joel Hewitt’s long-range drive at the Mallet goal the Bees’ best attempt of the game.

And Mallet rounded off the scoring in the second half as a former Bridport player came back to haunt Robson’s side.

A poor touch from Callum Thompson then gifted Mallet possession, leading to a foul on the edge of the area in the perfect zone for free-kick specialist Andy Martin to curl a delicious effort beyond Wells-Burr.

Robson admitted he felt the errors had been a “punch to the gut”.

He said: “I do think it was a fair result. Watching the game, it’s a team we shouldn’t have been losing against, whether it’s a draw or whatever.

“We’ve conceded from three set-pieces and all set-pieces have come from silly mistakes or a silly mistake within the set-piece itself.

“It’s a real punch to the gut because I felt we were better than the goals we gave them.”

Bees: Wells-Burr, Phillips (Okumu 61), C Clarke (Leader 77), Dovell, Wall, Coombs, Warren, Cornish, Thompson, Richardson, Hewitt (White 73). Subs not used: Handyside, Kershaw