CHERRIES Women saw their title hopes dented with a surprise 2-0 home defeat against Keynsham Town.

With leaders Cardiff City in cup action, Cherries had the chance to close the gap to two points with victory at Long Lane.

However, they were toppled after late goals from Mackenzie Ratstatter and Gemma McGuinness.

The defeat, combined with a big win for Exeter City, sees Steve Cuss’s Cherries slip to third in the National League Division One South West table.

Reflecting on the loss, boss Cuss told Cherries’ website: “It’s a game where we dominated the ball, had plenty of possession, but it’s what you do in the box that counts.

“We couldn’t quite find the goal we were looking form.

“We took some gambles towards the end of the game in trying to find the three points to win, but ultimately we didn’t do enough.

“It’s important that we bounce back against Swindon Town this weekend.

“We had a setback with this result, but we still have to build on the performance.”

Cherries host Swindon on Sunday (2pm), with free entry at Ringwood Town’s Long Lane.

Cherries: Scadding, Bleazard, A Treweek, Fripp (Humphreys, 70), Everson, Sheppard (J Treweek, 60), Barron (Jones, 60), Elkins (Smith, 60), Clark (Elliott, 80), James, Cooper.