DORCHESTER Town boss Glenn Howes confessed his “greatest fear” was realised after the Magpies exited the Emirates FA Cup following a 2-0 loss at Plymouth Parkway.
Howes’ comments were made in relation to last Monday’s 2-1 win at Poole, with the manager anxious over whether Dorchester could back that result up.
Parkway and Dorchester passed up early chances to score but Oscar Halls eventually put the hosts in 1-0 in front, heading home a Ryan Lane free-kick.
Dorchester looked unlikely to score thereafter and Jack Crago pounced on a heavy touch by Ollie Haste to make it 2-0.
READ MORE: Plymouth Parkway 2-0 Dorchester Town - report
The Magpies had Lloyd Thomas to thank for a string of saves as Parkway threatened a third.
Dorchester’s wait to reach the main draw goes into a 12th year, the annoyance of which was evident in Howes post-match.
He told Echosport: “It’s disappointment, there’s no hiding away from the scoreline.
“It’s extremely disappointing to go out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle.
“We felt it was a winnable tie but it means nothing if it’s the FA Cup or a league fixture. You have to do enough to go into the next round and we didn’t.
“Because of the game and how it panned out, there were a lot of aerial duels.
“After the euphoria of last weekend and playing against Poole, my greatest fear happened.
“First and foremost you have to be able to go toe-to-toe with a team like Parkway.
“I felt in large parts we did that but in the situations in which we didn’t we conceded goals and there was a number of silly fouls, innocuous behaviour from us in terms of clearing our lines.
“Ultimately, that really punished us and that was extremely frustrating.”
Howes also pinpointed a major turning point in the game as striker Shaq Gwengwe was through on goal in the ninth minute, only to fire wide.
“Incidences like that are really big and they do change games,” Howes said.
“We all know that, because it all of a sudden distorts the opposition’s game plan.
“We had a couple of headers in and around the six-yard box. I talked about aerial duels and being aggressive.
“If we can’t complete physically I think you have to be brighter and read the game better. That puts you in an advanced position, and we didn’t do that.
“Equally, getting Shaq in the front three we weren’t patient enough in our play. That happens and I felt there was a lot of anxiety in our play from the management team and the players.
“That’s never a good relationship but something we’ll address and work on. I take full responsibility, we needed to be sharper.
“We are a young team and we need a bit more composure and belief.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel