THE play-offs are a “longshot” for Dorchester Town but Magpies’ boss Tom Killick is simply pleased to be in the conversation after a dazzling run of form.

Quality first-half goals for Shaq Gwengwe and Marcus Daws handed Dorchester a fifth-straight Pitching In Southern League Premier South win, sinking Tiverton 2-0 away.

Victory extended to 12 games Dorchester’s unbeaten run, with the Magpies ninth in the standings and top of the form table.

Crucially, Merthyr’s 2-0 loss at Winchester, coming after the Welshmen forgot their away kit, means Dorchester are four points adrift of the play-offs with two games remaining.

READ MORE: Tiverton Town 0-2 Dorchester Town - report

Speaking to Echosport, Killick said: “It’s stating the obvious but we need to win both games and it’s not in our hands.

“So, it’s a real longshot but to think that we’re even having the conversation I just find is a real tribute to what the players have done.

“They are getting a lot of plaudits and, in my view, rightly so.

“I’m full of admiration for them and it makes me very happy to see the satisfaction and enjoyment they’re getting from it as well as the supporters.

“There’s a really good feeling around the club and we need to carry that on for these last two games.”

Highlighting the Tiverton win, which put ex-Dorchester boss Leigh Robinson’s men back into the dreaded bottom four, Killick said: “When we turned up, the pitch was unbelievably difficult.

“People would think that would suit Tiverton but they’ve got a lot of good, technical players. It didn’t really suit them any better than us, it just made it difficult to play any type of football.

“Both teams had to adjust and it was a very resilient, competent performance.”

On what is fast becoming a trademark away victory under Killick, Dorchester were ruthless up front before showing defensive backbone to close out the win.

“The 'seeing out' is the bit,” he said. “We’ve talked about what Jameson (Horlick, goalkeeper) does and he was again in big evidence with the aerial stuff.

“The team as a whole seem to now have a belief that when we get ourselves into winning positions that we are capable of defending well.

“It’s a real collective mindset and physical effort that they’re prepared to put in. It’s paying dividends at the moment.”

On the goalscorers, Killick added: “When you take into account the conditions, you need those flashes of brilliance and that’s what they were.

“It was a great little through ball from Dawsy to Shaq and then an exceptional finish, he’s rattled it straight into the top corner.

“Dawsy, in circumstances where the conditions didn’t suit him at all, then produced a real flash of quality to score the second.

“Then, we managed to defend and see the game out.”

Tiverton were angered by a shot that, in their view, crossed the line but failed to be awarded as a goal by the officials.

Killick sympathised slightly with the Yellows, based on players’ reactions.

He said: “All I would say is that going on player reaction in their side, it did look that they had a belief it crossed the line.

“I haven’t had an opportunity to speak to any of my players that were in the vicinity, but certainly there would seem to be a strong belief on their part.

“After the game, there was a lot of consternation about it from their side. Based on that alone, which is all I’ve got to go by, they’re obviously aggrieved.”

Dorchester’s quest for the play-offs continues on Saturday at Basingstoke Town (3pm).