WIMBORNE Town boss Steve Cuss said boardroom upheaval had been “no distraction” to his players after Magpies had suffered a 3-0 defeat at Tiverton Town.

The Cuthbury club had been stunned by the shock departure of chairperson Paula Henley on Wednesday following her five-month spell in the role.

And Wimborne’s first foray into Southern South & West since the businesswoman’s departure ended in a disappointing loss that dented their play-off ambitions.

Asked if Henley’s exit had been a distraction to preparation, Cuss told the Daily Echo: “It was no distraction at all. Football players play football and we were delighted to have a game on Saturday and we performed well without getting a result. It wasn’t a distraction to the players, not one bit.

“I couldn’t argue with the result but I thought our performance was excellent. We had a lot of young players playing and I thought we deserved a lot more than we got. The 3-0 scoreline probably flattered them a little bit.”

Tivvy handed debuts to newly-recruited loan duo Hussein Heidari and Tony Lee, who had both come in from Conference Premier Eastleigh on Friday.

And it took former Exeter City youngster Heidari less than 10 minutes to make an impression as he volleyed home from close range.

Wimborne could not turn subsequent pressure into goals and were punished after the break when Lee finished off a well-worked team move.

The Yellows forged further ahead thanks to a Tom Gardner header from a corner, before Owen Howe was sent off late on for leading with his head in an altercation with Adam Costello.

Cuss continued: “We started the game slowly and they took a deserved lead but for the rest of the half we were very much on the front foot and dominated.

“We got in some really good positions without quite being able to find the quality to open them up. Throughout the game we had a number of shots and crosses into the box and I was pleased with the performance.

"What you set out to do first of all is play well and we did. Unfortunately, on this occasion it was not enough to get a result.”

Magpies: Harvell, Arnold, Maybury, Costello, Oliver, Kellaway, Griffin, Waters (Wilcox, 65), Holmes, Stokoe, Gamble. Unused subs: Lupton, Roast, Field (g/k).