BOSS Graham Kemp lambasted Hamworthy United’s tactics as well as the clammy County Ground pitch after Christchurch crashed to defeat.

Ollie Cherrett’s scrambled goal midway through the first half was enough to clinch the three points for Phil Simkin’s Hammers – but Kemp was left raging over the hosts’ apparent ‘route one’ approach.

Kemp told the Echo: “It was an awful game and I don’t think either side did enough to win it. I sat at home last night and thought if I’d paid £5 to go and watch that then I’d want my money back.

“We normally like to get the ball down and pass it because we are a young, footballing side, but the pitch was a disgrace and you can see why Hamworthy play the way they do.

“I think I saw Jonny Wilkinson on the pitch at one point – it was a case of ‘how high and how far can we kick it’.

“Unfortunately we started to do the same, so from my point of view, I couldn’t take anything out of the game at all. They got three points but I’d be very surprised if Phil was overly impressed by the way they played.

“We’re a young side and some of the players might be feeling a little jaded, but when we did try and get the ball down and pass it, it bobbled around so we ended up kicking it long and we’re not good at that.

“Hamworthy looked to me like they play that way because they are well drilled in it. Without meaning to be derogatory towards them, it did seem to be a case of ‘how quickly can we get it from the back to the front’.

“If they want to play that way, they can. But I certainly wouldn’t want to be involved with a team that plays that way week-in week-out.

“If they can find a budget to pay players then why can’t they find a budget to get the pitch rolled?

“They quite clearly trained on it last week and just left it. It looked like they had had three or four games on it during the week.

“But it was a very disappointing day and we played our part in a poor game so you can’t really say anything else.”

Simkin, whose side face arch-rivals Poole Town at home on Saturday, said: “As far as the pitch is concerned, there has been a lot of money spent on it to bring it up to standard. I’m sorry for Graham that we don’t play on a lawn, but there aren’t many clubs that do in the Wessex League.

“As far as the style of football goes, I’m not the slightest bit interested in what Graham has said. Obviously his desperation for publicity knows no bounds.

“He can get on with it. I’ve got no interest in what Graham Kemp thinks.

“I’ve got no problem with him, but he revels in publicity and everyone knows that. It’s a long-standing joke.

“I was absolutely delighted with my players’ performance on Saturday.

“It was a good, hard, non-league battle on a sticky, tacky surface. And we won – it’s as simple as yet.

“We just turned up and won.”

Hamworthy Utd: Peters, White, Cherrett, Gilbert, Lockyer, Crow, Dancer, McCabe, Dovell, Byerley, Cannie (Jackson, 80). Unused subs: Horlock, Claremont, Yelland, Vavrecka.

Christchurch: Kearn, Dand, Taylor, Crutchley, Linpow, Wiltshire (Lawrence, 70), Green, Smith, Barnes (Cook, 60), Osborne, Rideout (Burden, 60).