BRIDPORT 2

STREET 3

BRIDPORT provided a tough examination of Street but eventually went down 3-2 to the Toolstation Western League Premier Division leaders at St Mary’s Field.

Street leapt 2-0 ahead after 15 minutes with a Ross McErlain header and a wonderful Dave O’Hare chip.

In the second half Bridport saw ex-Cobblers’ left-back Lee Sweet fire home and sub Leighton Thomas equalise with a header.

But Street scored a contentious third when Steve Foster, who appeared offside, saw his shot saved by on-loan keeper Scott Wells-Burr, allowing Harry Foster to tap home.

Both sides finished with 10 men as Braeden Symes was shown a straight red and former Dorchester Town man Jake Mawford was dismissed after twice being booked for diving.

Bees’ boss Adam Fricker lamented his side’s first-half show.

He told Echosport: “It was definitely a game of two halves. We didn’t start brightly but second half we played some of the best football we’ve played this season.

“Their first was from a whipped-in free-kick, we’ve not tracked the runner and he’s had a free header from eight yards out.

“The second one was a straightforward ball. The left-back played a great long ball down the side of our centre-backs and their lad’s gone through and chipped the advancing keeper.”

He added: “Second half was a completely different mentality, we really went for the jugular with a great move from Oscar Latas and Lee got into the box and drove it into the far corner.

“It really knocked Street out of their stride and then from a corner Leighton pulled away and flicked it in. He came on and really put them under pressure, he made a big difference for us.

“But they’ve played a ball over the top and it became a running race. The linesman was 10 yards behind play and their lad was a good three yards offside.

“Our keeper has pulled off a great save and their lad has tapped into an empty net.”

On Symes’ sending off, Fricker was frustrated with the midfielder who was playing his first game since returning from a one-game suspension. The Bees will now wait on his availability for Bradford Town tomorrow (3pm).

“Braeden has lashed out and I’ve got no complaints about it. He was head and shoulders above everyone else but it’s going to cost us three games without him.

“(At Bradford) we’ll do what we did for (the second) 45 minutes but we have to start like that.”

Bees: Wells-Burr, Hill, Rutter, Martin, Sweet, Latas, Symes, Richardson (Thomas 46), Hebditch, Butcher (Cornish 70), Salter. Sub not used: Peach

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