POOLE Town boss Tom Killick stated that he and his players deserved “unbelievable criticism” for producing a “shambles” of a performance in a 2-1 defeat at home to Dorchester on bank holiday Monday.

Despite controlling possession in the first half, Poole hardly troubled Lloyd Thomas in the Dorch goal, causing the away side to grow in confidence as the game progressed.

A slip-up in the middle of the park from Destiny Ojo allowed Shaq Gwengwe to convert one-on-one, before Harvey Wright saw red for a professional foul in stoppage time.

Jordan Barnett smacked home the resultant free kick, before Will Spetch bundled home at a corner to offer Poole scant consolation.

Killick told the Daily Echo: “I don't think we deserved to win.

“I thought Dorchester deserved it because they were much better in terms of their effort and their desire to win the game.

“And that is the big thing that hurts, is that I felt that was really apparent, not so much early on, but as the game progressed.

“I think they could sense that we weren't prepared to try very hard, we weren't prepared to run.

“So they understandably grew in confidence.

“They were worthy winners.

“We had loads of possession.

“We may have had a couple of half chances in the first half, but we didn't create a chance.

“And look at all the possession we've had, in good areas in the first half, not so much in the second half.

“And you don't create one chance.

“Like I say, we were absolutely powderpuff in terms of how we attack.

“I made bad substitutions. I probably should have made substitutions earlier, different ones.

“It was just a shambles from start to finish, but take nothing away from Dorchester because I thought they were very good.

“The only thing I would say if I was Glenn Howes, I wouldn't be giving them (Dorchester) any praise because I'd wait until next week to see what they're prepared to give me next week if I was him.

“Because obviously that's not what they've given him so far, so it'd be interesting to see what they produce next week.

“But today they were much better than us at pretty much everything and I felt they deserved to win.”

Defeat leaves Poole eight points behind league leaders Merthyr Town, questioning their ability to make good on their pre-season ambitions of winning the title.

Killick shared how he and his players had to take criticism for their performance, continuing: “I deserve unbelievable criticism for that.

“The players deserve unbelievable criticism because I felt there was a lack of effort.

“So if there's a lack of effort from the players that first of all it falls at my door, and secondly at their door.

“So sometimes we have to be man enough to say that we deserve to have criticism.”