SHEPTON MALLET 3 BRIDPORT 1

BRIDPORT bowed out of the Les Phillips Cup on Friday night but only after being on the receiving end of a controversial decision in their first round tie at Shepton Mallet.

The match was finely poised at 1-1 in the second half when Bees keeper Josh Hadley conceded a penalty that Ben Cleverley then dispatched.

However, the visitors’ gloveman and his team-mates were adamant that he had won the ball before making contact with the opponent.

And as Bridport chief Trevor Senior told Echosport, the referee only awarded the spot-kick on the advice of his assistant.

“We played alright but were a bit unlucky with one decision going against us at a vital time,” said Senior.

“The ball was played through, Josh came out for it, and he was adamant he took the ball and then the man.

“From where I was it looked as though Josh took the man first but Sean Stewart was standing right in line with it and he said it wasn’t a penalty.

“Sean was standing close to the referee and he didn’t give it, the linesman flagged for the penalty.

“The lads said you could definitely see that Josh had got a good hand on the ball.

“I suppose the one saving grace was that Josh wasn’t sent off.

“Sometimes these things go for you and sometimes they don’t – it didn’t go for us on this occasion.”

Overall, Senior was proud of the character his men showed to bounce back after Ben Lacey had put the hosts in front early in the second period.

Lacey netted following a goalless first half in which Bridport created, but sadly failed to take, several chances, with Tom Richardson, Darren Watts and Jamie Beasley all going close.

Beasley couldn’t take advantage of a one-on-one with the Shepton Mallet keeper after the restart and Lacey made the visitors pay thanks to a lovely curling shot.

But Beasley did get on the scoresheet to make it 1-1, firing in a free-kick from the edge of the box.

However, the penalty incident “knocked the stuffing” out of the Bees according to Senior and although Chris Clarke forced the home keeper into a good save, Scott Murray’s late breakaway goal sealed the win for the hosts.

“We showed a lot of character to come back from a goal down and really have a go at them,” added Senior.

“We didn’t take our chances though, especially in the first half, and you have to do that.”

Bees: Hadley, Evans, Clarke, Hill (Peach 78), M Buckler (Byerley 65), Hayter, Richardson, Watts (Condliffe 78), Salter, Stewart, Beasley.