DORCHESTER Town boss Glenn Howes conceded the Magpies’ 6-3 defeat at league favourites Walton & Hersham was “hard to take”.

Thanks to a Jack Wright brace and Shaq Gwengwe’s fourth goal in four games, Howes’ Magpies were 1-0 and 3-2 up against the Swans.

However, the hosts turned the tide completely in the second half as Eddie Simon, John Gilbert, Mitchal Gough and Jordan Adeyemi piled on the misery for Dorchester.

Defeat leaves the winless Magpies in 18th, with Howes distinctly unimpressed by his side’s start to the Pitching In Southern League Premier South campaign.

He told Echosport: “We’re extremely disappointed with the start of our season.

READ MORE: Walton & Hersham 6-3 Dorchester Town - report

“Although Walton & Hersham had a real threat, we felt we’d dealt with it and went toe-to-toe with them.

“We created opportunities, as we’ve been doing since the start. However, we can’t keep conceding goals in the manner we do.

“If you do, you get punished and that’s exactly what’s happening. We didn’t foresee it coming.

“We had measures in place to come out. To concede two late goals when we’re chasing the game, that’s going to happen.

“To go from 2-1 down, 3-2 up and then it ends up being 4-3, you have to throw everything at it and we got hit a couple of times. It’s hard to take.”

This defeat added to painful losses against Merthyr and Harrow where Dorchester had also lost or dropped points from winning positions.

Howes added: “They’re hitting us emotionally because we care an awful lot about the club, management and players included.

“We’re all fully focused and 100 per cent motivated to turn this around. The reality is it’s four games into the season.

“It’s not the start any of us would want. However, if you don’t care you shouldn’t be part of it.

“That’s one thing I can assure the supporters, the players and management team really want to turn it around.

“The only way we can do that is to prove it on the football pitch.”