BOSS Steve Cuss was left to rue a late penalty as Wimborne Town’s hopes of a first Southern League victory since August were dashed by Bishop’s Cleeve at Kayte Lane.

Luke Holmes’s 85th-minute strike had put the 10-man Magpies 2-1 in front but, after Patrick Wilson’s ill-advised challenge in the box minutes later, Elliot Kennedy rescued a point for Cleeve.

Carl Preston had earlier given Magpies a 54th-minute lead but the dismissal of Franklyn Clarke for an alleged headbutt and a goal from Luke Hitchman saw matters levelled at 1-1.

Cuss told the Daily Echo: “I was delighted with the performance. We battled hard and you have to bear in mind that we played the last half-an-hour with 10 men.

“We got ourselves in front and it was disappointing that we could not get over the line. I felt the performance deserved a victory but it is all part of the learning curve for our younger players in particular.

“When you let in a goal that late in the game, it feels like a defeat, but I quickly reminded the players what we had achieved. It was a good point in the end.

“The positives were that we looked a lot stronger and more secure and we scored a couple of excellent goals.”

Cuss said the referee had made the correct decisions over Clarke and the Cleeve penalty.

He added: “We have no complaints with the red card. Franklyn was disappointed and I was disappointed and the matter will be dealt with internally.

“The sending-off gave us a really hard job but we composed ourselves and moved things around and credit goes to the players.

“I had no complaints with the penalty. We were fighting hard, everyone was defending and it was a mistimed tackle. There is no blame attached as we are all in it together as a team.”

The closest either team came in the first half was when the home side hit the upright, while James Stokoe headed wide a presentable chance at the other end.

Nine minutes after the break, Wimborne forged ahead. A long throw from Billy Maybury was met by the head of Jon Blake and the ball broke to Preston, who made no mistake.

Clarke then earned himself a red card after appearing to headbutt a home defender before Hitchman nodded Cleeve level.

Wimborne keeper Jason Harvell had the frame of his goal rattled but Holmes seemed to have won it for Magpies following a fine cross from Sam Griffin.

However, Kennedy fired home from 12 yards to earn a point.

Magpies: Harvell, Randall, Crutcher, Holmes (Wilson, 86), Maybury, Blake, Griffin, Oliver, Stokoe, Clarke, Preston (Turner, 78). Unused subs: O’Hare, Johnson, Roast (g/k).