HAMWORTHY REC 1 BRIDPORT RESERVES 0

THREADBARE Bridport Reserves paid the penalty at Hamworthy Rec as Luke Stone’s spot-kick handed the Bees their second successive league defeat.

Despite manager Robin Townsend having a number of his squad unavailable, Bridport held their own away from home.

Goalkeeper Billy Fleet produced a solid performance in the first half to keep things level.

But disaster struck on 56 minutes when Fleet charged off his line and brought down Stone inside the area to concede the decisive penalty.

Stone then picked himself up and calmly slotted the ball home to earn his side all three points and keep alive their hopes of lifting the league title.

Townsend told Echosport: “I have no complaints whatsoever about the penalty decision, it was a stonewall penalty, and on reflection they probably deserved the win.

“When we went in at half-time with the score goalless I was very pleased, and we were still in it.

“To be fair, for 10 or 15 minutes in the second half we bossed proceedings and played some really good football.”

The result means that Townsend’s men remain in sixth place in the Dorset Premier League table, four points away from a place in the division’s top five.

He added: “Hopefully we can cement our strong position in the league until the end of the season.

“Every game in the run-in is winnable for us and having Weymouth Reserves on the last day of the season should be a bit of a cup final.”

Bees: B Fleet, King, Clarke, Day, Herbst, Rh Hayter (McClements 60), Gape, Peart (Gall 15), Cummings, Steele, Gale (Stordy 70).