Dorchester TOWN 1 BATH CITY 0 DORCHESTER are in business after Alex Browne's 73rd minute header gave them a well-earned first win of the season in an exciting clash at the Avenue Stadium yesterday.

Languishing at the foot of the table after an unrewarding return of only one point from three games, the Magpies bounced back from their only poor performance at Cambridge to get a victory that manager Mark Morris called "massive".

The win, which hauled them seven places off the bottom of the table, was well merited.

Dorchester's attacking play had previously unbeaten City on the back foot for most of the game and even Romans' boss Alan Pridham had to admit his side were second best.

"Dorchester had to get a win and they worked very hard for it," said Pridham. "We just didn't get into it the game at all in the first half when their movement was very good.

"We could have won it with a couple of chances after they scored, but to be honest I don't think it would have been deserved."

Charge

Magpies goalkeeper Mark Ormerod put recent blips behind him with an early close range, reaction save after Frankie Bennett stole in front of Michael Walker to head goalwards when Andy Taylor's cross bounced across the goalmouth.

But from then on the Magpies took charge and gave the Romans' defence a torrid time, particularly down the flanks.

Justin Keeler sent a blistering shot inches over the bar and after just being beaten to Walker's whipped in cross from the left by goalkeeper Mark Bryant, Martin Shepherd could get no purchase on a free

header when Matt Hann's right wing centre proved just too high.

Bryant was almost caught out by Keeler's angled drive to the near post which he fumbled behind for a corner and when the goalkeeper dropped another cross under challenge from Matt Tubbs, Keeler stepped up to sweep in a low drive that Adam Howarth blocked in the goalmouth with Bryant slow to get back to his line.

Two minutes later the Romans were all at sea again when Shepherd's shot beat Bryant and this time Scott Hendy was their saviour with another goal-line save.

With Matt Holmes also dragging a shot inches wide from the edge of the area, a ragged City were relieved to get to the break on terms.

But the relief was short-lived with Dorchester almost going ahead straight from the re-start when Ormerod's long clearance put Keeler in behind a defence moving up to play offside. He drilled a low ball across the goalmouth and with Shepherd moving in for the kill, a retreating Howarth pulled off a great interception.

Bookings began to build up for the ratty Romans and when skipper Mike Trought chopped down Tubbs just outside the area as he chased a long ball down the middle, Keeler smashed his free-kick wide of Bryant's upright.

Hann exposed Trought's lack of pace again on the hour but his pass zipped across the goalmouth

and past the far post with

Shepherd, Tubbs and Keeler all lunging in.

After failing to threaten after the opening minutes City would have taken a shock lead on 65 minutes but for Ormerod. City sent their big defenders up for a corner but it was striker Danny Cleverley who glanced a firm header goalwards from a

couple of yards. The Magpies stopper re-acted like lightning to get a hand to it and Shepherd hooked the loose ball off the line.

The Magpies came back to take the lead when Browne got up in a

crowded area to meet Holmes right wing corner and his header, by no means one of his tidiest, found the roof of the net.

City came out of their shell to give the home fans a few heart-stopping moments in the closing minutes. Cleverley missed a sitter when he ran in at the far post to volley

wide after Drew Shore's left wing cross took out Ormerod and the Magpies keeper was well positioned on his line to block Howarth's

header.

Then Walker's last minute challenge on Josh Jeffries inside the area had Bath's travelling fans yelling in vain for a penalty.