DORCHESTER Town boss Leigh Robinson hailed the Magpies’ improved tempo after beating Wimborne Town 4-1 in the Dorset Senior Cup semi-finals.

Robinson, overseeing his first home game in charge, landed his first victory as Tom Blair bagged a brace, adding to a maiden Magpies goal for Bournemouth youngster Jack Torniainen and a Lewis Gunstone-Gray own goal.

Although Wimborne made a plethora of changes, Dorchester’s increased intensity gave Robinson cause for optimism.

“It was much needed,” he told Echosport. “It was a no-pressure game and enabled us to experiment a little bit but also change the energy and momentum around the place.

“We played with a lot more tempo and urgency than what I’d seen the team play with over the last few weeks.

“I’ve got no doubt we’ve got that in us. My job is to make us harder to beat.

“In terms of the ability to play good football, put good passing moves together and score goals, even before I came, I knew we had that.

“But my big aim is getting a side who want to defend, who enjoy defending. In the games I’ve seen, that probably hasn’t been in evidence.

“That’s probably why they are where they are in the table.”

Commenting on Blair and Torniainen, Robinson added: “It’s bittersweet with Tom. He puts in a performance like that, tears a team apart and scores some brilliant goals.

“Then you think ‘we’ve got to do without that for another six games’.

“I stressed to him he had a really big job to put a performance in and had the responsibility of changing the energy around the place.

“Jack – I don’t think he’s had many games, but he looked good. A young lad with a little bit of freshness.

“A lad who’s at a pro club, you know you’re going to get energy and quality on the ball, but I was pleased how snappy he was. He didn’t look like a boy playing a man’s game.”