DORCHESTER Town manager Leigh Robinson admitted he was “proud” of his players despite losing 4-2 to nemesis Weymouth.

Striker Tom Bath’s composed finish gave Dorchester a 53rd-minute lead, but two goals in three minutes from Harry Burns and Brett Williams – the latter after keeper Shane Murphy’s blunder – saw Weymouth lead.

Tom Blair’s volley gave the Magpies a near-instant leveller before sub Abdulai Baggie and Josh Wakefield scored late on to give Weymouth their 27th Dorset Senior Cup victory.

However, Dorchester’s team selection was hampered by competition rules, which prevented six members of the Magpies’ squad from taking to the field.

In the end, 16-year-old midfielder James Nicholas made his debut, with all players signed after the 4-1 semi-final win over Wimborne ruled ineligible.

Asked post-match for his summary, Robinson said: “Good for the neutral. To us, it was a bit of a weird day because we found out at 11 o’clock (Tuesday) morning that six of the team were ineligible.

“We had a very different line-up planned at 11 o’clock to what actually took to the field.

“We managed to get over that and scrabble together a team.

“To be fair to the players – I very rarely say it as a manager – but I was really proud of the effort in defeat.

“From our boys, that was a performance to be proud of. We were huge, huge underdogs.

“We had a 16-year-old who played 90 minutes, we brought a 17-year-old (Alfie Toland) on – a super, super young side when you compare to the subs they brought on, who are quality players.”

Robinson also believes the victory was achievable at both 1-0 and 2-2.

“We felt at one or two points it was on, taking the lead and getting back to two-all.

“You always felt Weymouth had an extra gear to find if they absolutely had to, they’ve got a quality side and are very well coached.

“Plan A was to win the game and if we couldn’t do that we just had to put on a show, get some pride back and make sure that people knew we’ve got a good side and we can still play – we certainly did that.”