BRIDPORT RESERVES 1 CHICKERELL UNITED 1 (aet, Chickerell won 5-3 on penalties)

BRIDPORT Reserves’ manager Robin Townsend came within moments of lifting the Dorset Senior Trophy in his final game in charge, but it was not to be as Chickerell United snatched a late leveller in normal time and sealed victory on penalties.

In what was a frantic cup final between the two sides, Townsend’s troops were dealt a blow before a ball was even kicked at the County Ground.

Regular goalkeeper Jamie Fry suffered an injury to his hand at work hours before the contest, meaning Adam Stordy once again stepped between the sticks for the Bees.

After 33 minutes, it was Bridport who opened the scoring.

A ball from deep was flicked on inside the area and dropped for Ben Clarke to strike across goal into the bottom corner.

Chances then fell to Josh Why and Warren White as the Chickens, who had created more throughout the contest, looked for a leveller.

And as they threw everything forward in the dying moments, they got their reward in stoppage time. A searching delivery was bundled home and seemed to flick off a Bridport defender on its way into the net.

That brought extra time and Bridport may have felt unfortunate not to grab a winner when Dan Baggs let fly with a fierce shot which clipped the outside of a post, but the tie was destined to be settled by spot-kicks.

And after Chickerell’s Steve Boore pulled off a sublime stop first up to put his side in the box seat, it was left to Liam Taylor to slot home the winner. After lifting the trophy, Chickens’ manager Steve Coward said: “I am chuffed for the boys. They showed really good work-rate against a Dorset Premier League side and it just goes to show we can compete.

“To be quite honest, I thought we were the better side over the 90 minutes but we just didn’t look like scoring.

“Liam Taylor, who has been in and out, wanted to take the last penalty and I am chuffed as nuts for him.”

Townsend added: “It’s disappointing to lose on penalties when we were two minutes away from winning it, but full credit to Chickerell, they kept going to the end.

“I thought in extra-time we were the better side. It came down to a lottery with the penalties and unfortunately for us that’s the way it goes.

“The disappointing thing is we didn’t see it out for the 90 minutes and the set-piece was once again our Achilles heel.”

Bees: Stordy, Day, Baggs, Hill, Herbst, Peart, Fleet, Bulman, Clarke, Scovell, T Gale. Subs: S Gale, Cummings, Fouracre, King, Rh Hayter

Chickens: Boore, Burton, Ykhlef, S Welch, Miles, Charles, D Welch, Jarvis, Etherington, White, Why. Subs: Churchill, Newnham, L Taylor, C Taylor

Referee: Michael Ballard