Saturday
26th July 2008 |
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Sherborne Town |
1 |
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Dorchester Town |
0 |
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Lesson to be learnt
by
Ky Capel
Shaun Brooks hopes that his side's 1-0 defeat at Western League
Premier Division outfit Sherborne Town will act as a "learning
curve" for his players.
The Dorchester manager saw his team lose their second pre-season
friendly in five days following the 1-0 loss to Portland United.
However, Saturday's defeat was suffered by arguably Brooks' strongest
side, with perhaps the exception of the unavailable Ryan Moss through
work commitments.
Brooks said: "It was a physical game but it was a game that
Sherborne wanted to win, which is perfectly fine, we had to find
a way to combat that.
"We conceded an early goal, which from where I was didn't
look to have crossed the line, and that gave them encouragement.
Then, for the next 10-15 minutes we panicked and we lost our shape
and composure because we wanted to get a goal back.
"We had a lot of possession but our final ball wasn't good
enough and they defended well.
"The lesson we need to learn is that if we do go behind we
mustn't panic, if we don't then we'll get opportunities. If we learn
that lesson from the game then it's a game well worth losing.
"It gave us an opportunity to look at the players' reaction
to going behind and if we can use it as a learning curve then great."
In their last two friendlies the county town boss has seen Mark
Jermyn and trialist Bill Puckett both pick up long-term knee injuries.
Luckily, that trend did not continue at Raleigh Grove.
Brooks added: "Gary Bowles took a knock to the head so we
brought him off but overall it was just a few bumps and bruises
and we came through it okay on a hot day."
Bowles came in at right-back in place of the injured Jermyn, in-form
Ivan Forbes played up front alongside Jamie Mudge in the absence
of Moss and Jamie Gleeson returned from a knee injury to take up
a spot in midfield.
But the Magpies found themselves a goal behind early on when keeper
Michael McEnt-agart, hoping to earn a contract at the Jewson Stadium,
collected a back pass only to smash his clearance straight at an
opposing player who rolled the ball over the goal line despite Bowles'
best efforts to rescue the situation.
The visitors did have chances but were unable to find a way past
their stubborn hosts.
Meanwhile, trialist Leon Osei has agreed terms on a month-long
deal with a view to a more permanent move.
Brooks said: "We need to have a longer look at Leon. He's
an exciting player, a good talent and someone who can change a game,
if he gets his head down and continues to work hard I think he could
be a real find for us."
The 20-year-old, formerly of QPR and Stevenage, added: "We
have a great set of lads here and I am looking to set the place
on fire with the rest of the team and giving our supporters plenty
to cheer about.
"The training has been fantastic and I would like to thank
the gaffer for giving me this opportunity and also Nathan Peprah-Annan
for introducing me to the club."
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