TORRIDGESIDE 3

BRIDPORT 3

BRIDPORT battled their way to a 3-3 draw at Torridgeside as interim boss Chris Herbst further enhanced his claim for a shot at the permanent job.

Herbst is on a shortlist of candidates to succeed Edgar Marcu and has now taken one win, two draws and only sustained one defeat in his caretaker tenure.

Following on from the 2-0 FA Vase win over Petersfield last time out, Bridport are now unbeaten in two games – for the first time since September 2020.

However, they had to do it the hard way by recovering from 3-1 down.

READ MORE: Bridport end 392-day wait for victory

Torridgeside claimed a 2-0 lead in the first half as Nathan Walter and George Folland struck.

Against the tide, Bridport crucially pulled a goal back before half-time courtesy of Ryan Gall’s first goal of the season.

Alli Ward added a third for the hosts, who then spurned a huge chance to put the game out of Bridport’s reach when Bees’ skipper Dan Baggs conceded a penalty.

Ollie Kenneally took spot-kick duties but slammed his effort against the post.

Handed a lifeline, Bridport soon turned the tables as Josh Hunter volleyed home for 3-2.

At the other end, the Bees were indebted to Jordon Scadding for a stunning fingertip save to keep T-Side at bay before Owen Peart’s last-minute curler into the top-left corner rescued a dramatic point.

Speaking post-match, Herbst felt the Bees had got out of jail.

He said: “We really didn’t play that well but we still got a point out of it so it’s one of those where we forget about it and move on.

“I said that we were lucky to get a point but we got one, so we’re building something. We never gave up and that’s the main thing.

“The old Bridport would probably have rolled over 5-0. You can see the belief in them. We still created chances even though we played badly, that’s the plus side.”

Quizzed on his chances of taking the manager’s job, Herbst said: “They haven’t really said anything, Tuesday (for a decision) is all I know.”

Bees: Jo Scadding, Childs, Baggs, Baker (Gape 55), Gall, Greenwood-Neate, Howe (Morgan 65), Hereka (O Peart 55), Oliveira, Hunter, Ayunga (M Calverley 80).