BRIDPORT suffered a 3-1 loss to Shaftesbury in their Dorset Senior Cup quarter-final clash at Cockrams.

A Jack Mitchell brace, added to a late Ashley Clarke goal, saw the Rockies through against the Bees, for whom Leighton Thomas equalised before goalkeeper Jason Hutchings and manager Adam Fricker were sent off.

The result was a first loss in five games for Fricker’s men, who had won each of their previous four, including a 2-0 win over Weymouth in the last round.

Fricker felt his side simply “didn’t seem up for it”.

He said: “I suppose if we were going to have an off day we’d rather have it in the Dorset Senior Cup. We started well but after that we just didn’t seem up for it.”

Talking through the goals, Fricker believed the Bees “didn’t deserve” to level at 1-1.

He said: “The first was a bit of a defensive mix-up which fell to one of their lads on the edge of the box, who knocked it in.

“Leighton had a strike from 25 yards which was deflected and looped over the keeper – we didn’t deserve to be back at 1-1. Then they worked the ball well and knocked it past Hutchy. The third was just a free-kick.”

Commenting on the dismissals, Fricker was left to ponder the cost of losing Hutchings to suspension.

“We’re going to lose him for a number of games now. Jase has come out quite recklessly and mis-timed his tackle.

“Then I had the audacity to question a decision. Richard Hebditch got squashed between two players and a foul was given against him.

“In my frustration I had a pop at the ref. He sent me off for foul and abusive language which I’m still baffled by,” he said.

Bees: Hutchings, Martin, Hill, Hayter, Latas (Peach 80), Cornish (Butcher 46), Vance, Richardson (Hebditch 65), Rutter, Salter, Thomas. Sub not used: Andrews