FAWZI Saadi claimed Poppies had been unfairly deprived of victory after the Victoria Park outfit drew 2-2 at Bemerton in the Sydenhams Wessex Premier.

The hosts took an early lead through Scott Joyce but fine finishes either side of the break from Dave Ewen and Sami Makhloufi put Poppies in front.

However, Jon Blake soon levelled for high-fliers Bemerton to ensure honours ended even in Wiltshire.

Player-coach Saadi and assistant Michael Cuffie oversaw the Poppies squad in the absence of boss Ken Vaughan, who has taken a back-seat role this term.

Saadi told the Daily Echo: “I was disappointed because we dropped two points – we should have won the game.

“We dominated the first half and we believed there was a foul on our player in the build-up to their first goal.

“Their second goal came from a free-kick we felt should not have been awarded.

“The second half was 50-50 but we were still the stronger side overall. It shows how far we’ve come.”

A Mark Barker goal gave Brockenhurst victory over QK Southampton in the Southampton Senior Cup second round. Lymington Town lost 4-0 at home to Hamble Club in the same competition.