BOSS Tom Killick saw Poole Town suffer their heaviest home defeat in National South before admitting they had “big problems” conceding goals.

But despite shipping four for the first time in the league at the Black Gold Stadium, Killick said he had also been encouraged with elements of their display.

New signing Warren Bentley handed Poole an ideal start when he swept home a Jack Dickson cross to give them a fourth-minute lead against Hemel Hempstead on Tuesday.

But a mix-up at the back saw Will Spetch poke the ball past his own goalkeeper, Nick Hutchings, as the Tudors levelled two minutes later.

Referee James Durkin failed to spot a blatant foul on Jez Bedford in the lead up to Rowan Liburd firing the visitors ahead before the same player made it 3-1 midway through the first half.

Although Steve Devlin received a straight red card for a challenge on James Kaloczi, the 10-man Dolphins reduced the arrears through Bentley’s penalty after Spetch had been upended.

Spetch missed a presentable chance to head home an equaliser at the start of the second half before Jordan Parkes’s 69th-minute effort knocked the wind out of Poole’s sails.

Defeat left Poole with just one point from five home games this season and fifth from bottom in the table.

Killick told the Daily Echo: “We have done it a couple times this season where we have gone in front and everything looks good before suddenly it turns itself round.

“At the moment we are conceding soft goals and making mistakes which are leading to goals. As long as that carries on, it is going to be difficult.

“I know people will say it is easy when you are down to 10 men and all seems lost at 3-1, but I felt we played with real spirit after that.

“If Will’s chance had gone in early in the second half, I think things would have been different because they looked a bit panicked and we looked quite powerful.

“But that chance slipped by and we ran out of steam. I felt we showed some guts and determination and, from that point of view, I was pleased.”

Killick was unhappy with referee Durkin after he had missed the foul on Bedford and said: “That’s what I was most irate about.

“I felt the referee had one of those personalities where both teams were looking to take advantage of weakness.

“That was the most horrendous thing in terms of the decisions. Everyone could see it was a clear foul and, although we should have defended better, it was ridiculous how clear it was and for it to lead to a goal was hard to take.”

And on the subject of Devlin’s red card, which will see him receive a three-match ban, Killick added: “People have told me it wasn’t a very good tackle and their players didn’t think it was.

“I didn’t see it clearly. I watched him win the ball and then I moved away from it. If there is clear footage which shows it should not have been a red, we will appeal.”

Dolphins: Hutchings, Cooper (Moore, 70), Smeeton, Spetch, Whisken, Pettefer (Baggie, 70), Dickson, Devlin, Bentley, Bedford (Balmer, 80), Harfield. Unused subs: Lee, Rees (g/k).