A LATE double from substitute Sam Higgins finally broke Dorchester’s resistance and left the Magpies at the bottom of Blue Square Bet South for the third week in succession.

Ashley Vickers’ men frustrated high-flying Chelmsford for the vast majority of Saturday’s game, only to see Higgins breach the county town rearguard with just nine minutes to play.

And the same man made the points safe soon after, albeit with a helping hand from visiting gloveman Simon Evans, to maintain the Clarets’ 100 per cent home record.

To cap a disappointing day for the travelling Magpies, both Neil Martin and James Coutts limped off with hamstring and ankle problems respectively.

Vickers’ right-hand man, assistant Phil Simkin, felt the above injuries played a huge part in City’s eventual victory.

He said: “Chelmsford have quality players and they were able to bring excellent players off the bench. They kept plugging away and eventually got the break.

“But the injuries totally changed the game from our point of view and had they not happened, then I’m sure we would’ve taken a point home.

“To be fair, Chelmsford are the best side we have played this season by some way. We looked like we would get a point and we would have been more than happy with that.

“If we had been completely outplayed then we would be downbeat but yet again we weren’t. The lads put in a really good shift but nothing seems to be going for us at this moment in time. However, it must do sooner or later.”

Not even the arrival of ex-Yeovil and Bournemouth defender Scott Guyett, taking over the captain’s armband following the release of Kevin Hill, could change the Magpies’ fortunes.

However, Simkin praised the 34-year-old’s contribution on his county town debut.

He added: “Another bright spot was an excellent debut from Scott Guyett. He was assured, calm and formed a good partnership with Nathan Walker.

“Scott’s a seasoned professional and reads situations well. Also, I don’t think he lost a single header all afternoon.”

Reflecting on the goals Dorchester conceded, Simkin said: “They nicked a goal with a header about 10 minutes from the end and unfortunately the second was a long distance shot which Simon mishandled.

“But that’s the way things go sometimes and I’m sure Simon will save us more points over the course of the season.

“We had a couple of chances ourselves, including one which Dave Allen felt he should’ve done better with, and we deserved a point for the effort we put in and the way in which we nullified them.

“I must also say that our travelling supporters were superb again. We appreciate their efforts and we’re keen to repay them with wins.”

Magpies: Evans, R Hill, Martin (Critchell 55), Jermyn, Walker, Guyett, Crittenden, Coutts (Groves 63), Moss (Douglas 80), Allen, Devlin. Subs not used: Frampton, Otobo.

Attendance: 821