ILFRACOMBE TOWN 5

BRIDPORT 2

BRIDPORT suffered their ninth defeat of the Toolstation Western League Premier Division season as Ilfracombe Town claimed a 5-2 win.

The Bees had more than 20 players out through injury or unavailability but held their own in the first half.

Mike Hill equalised in the 25th minute, tapping home a parry from home keeper Steve Oliver after Bridport had conceded an early opener from a free-kick.

Ilfracombe accelerated in the second half to amass a 5-1 lead as Bridport’s play deteriorated, Liam Short and Harry Stevens completing braces alongside Brodie Montague’s strike.

To their credit, Bridport fought on and added a consolation in stoppage time through the Bees’ top scorer Hill, who finished off a fine pass from teenage talent Harley Brook for 5-2.

READ MORE: Keynsham Town 6-2 Bridport - match report

Post-match, manager Rob Marquis said: “We’ve been making progress over the last few weeks but I felt we didn’t give a good account of ourselves.

“It needs to be discussed and looked at. I’ll reflect on it and with the positives over the last few weeks I feel a little bit deflated (now).

“It’s frustrating when you fall foul to preventable things. A few of the players have said: ‘I didn’t do as well as I could’ and I respect that honesty.

“From a positive perspective we’ve scored two good goals. We’ve clearly turned a corner where we can score but we perhaps need to be a little bit more hard-nosed.”

Bees: Taylor, Carlile, Ja Scadding, McAllister, Baggs, Owen, Blango (Brook 82), Osei-Kumi (Boulton 60), Kamara, Greenwood-Neate (Mamanta 74), Hill.