WIMBORNE Town chairman Ken Stewart gave the club’s “full backing” to defiant manager Steve Cuss and insisted he remained confident the Magpies could avoid relegation.

Stewart was speaking after a 2-0 home defeat to Cinderford on Saturday left Wimborne perilously close to the drop zone.

After 10 Southern League games without victory, a fifth straight defeat saw Magpies plummet to second bottom of the table, just a point ahead of backmarkers Stourport Swifts.

Stewart said: “Steve has got a lot of work to do. Although we’re near the bottom of the league, I’m fairly confident we will pull our results around and avoid relegation.

“Our sights were set on mid-table and to go from there, but with a new manager we are rebuilding the side and that takes time. With results going against us we don’t have much time and, if we can avoid relegation, I shall be happy.

“I’ll look again in February, and some people might say that may be too late, but we don’t sack managers for the sake of it.

“We don’t want to push the panic button and I don’t think we will – Steve has a few sleepless nights ahead of him but he has our full backing.”

Despite the recent setbacks, Cuss also insisted he was still the man for the job.

He said: “I am responsible for results, I do know that, and I suppose I feel under pressure in terms of trying to win a game.

“Anything else is the board’s decision. I haven’t considered resigning, all I do is work hard each week and try to get the right quality here, coach them and get them as organised as we can.

“We are shuffling the pack – the two lads from AFC Bournemouth have acquitted themselves well and we’re constantly looking to raise the quality of what we’ve got.”

Even the arrival of new frontmen Russell Cook and Rico Wilson couldn’t inspire Wimborne on Saturday as a flat, error-strewn display saw the hosts beaten.

Hesitancy in midfield from Josh Wakefield allowed Nick McCootie to win the ball and set up Lewis Sommers for a tap-in on 24 minutes.

Wimborne had their best spell after the break but failed to test Cinderford keeper Ben John before giving away a soft goal midway through the second half, McCootie again setting up Sommers to apply a simple finish on 67 minutes.

Cuss added: “It was a poor performance in terms of where we’ve been. We didn’t really have a goal threat throughout the game and we gave away the ball too easily. We didn’t deserve any more than we got.

“The past six performances had been good and that was the disappointing factor on Saturday – the performance wasn’t there.”

Magpies: Harvell, Arnold, Maybury, Jamison, Peprah-Annan, Wakefield, Davidson, Webb (Cream, 67), Kemble, Cook, Wilson (Clowes, 78). Unused subs: Magookin, Cousins, Ackerman (g/k).