Riley concerned as Bash 'lack quality' (From Bournemouth Echo)

Riley concerned as Bash 'lack quality'

7:01pm Sunday 21st March 2010 in

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HONEST Bashley boss Steve Riley pulled no punches and bemoaned his side’s lack of “quality and know-how” after their shock home defeat against Tiverton Town.

Play-off hopefuls Bash were left stunned when the Devon strugglers struck the only goal of a disappointing Southern Premier clash on 58 minutes – and then hung on to claim the points.

The winner, scored by experienced former Plymouth Argyle and Gillingham midfielder Mark Saunders, came after an uncharacteristic error by Bashley keeper David Elm.

Fans’ favourite Elm, usually a reliable performer, let a corner slip through his grasp, allowing Saunders to net from close range.

While Riley said he was “disappointed” at the way his team conceded, he was more concerned about the lack of firepower.

He told the Echo: “We lacked quality. We didn’t test the goalkeeper enough. Mark Gamble had an effort saved and Max Cream created a chance for himself, but we lacked quality when in possession going forward.

“I was a bit disappointed with the way we went about our business.

“It was one of those games where we had a lot of players off form.

“I didn’t think either team deserved to win the game.

“There was not a lot of goalmouth action – we probably made about four or five half chances throughout the whole game and they probably made two.”

Despite the defeat, Bash would have been able to breathe a sigh of relief when they saw the results of their play-off rivals, with Cambridge City, Leamington, Halesowen Town and Brackley Town all failing to win at the weekend.

That means the New Foresters have a four-point cushion over the chasing pack, but Riley admitted his men would need to quickly rediscover their best form.

He added: “We’re still third and we’ll go to Rugby on Tuesday and try to get it out of our system.

“We need to bounce back. We went on a good run and it has come to an end.

“We can’t be miserable about it – we got beaten and need to dust ourselves down and it’s about how we react.

“We need to forget about Saturday and get on with the rest of the games.

“We certainly need to perform better than we did on Saturday.”

Bashley: Elm, Smith (Town, 63), Ferrett, Middleton, Parnell, Knowles (Mason, 35), Kelly, Allen, Cream (Maxwell, 66), Gamble, Knight. Unused subs: Gazzard, Prodomo (g/k).