BRIDPORT have targeted a big improvement to their defence as the Bees tonight begin pre-season training.

The Bees conceded 56 goals in the South West Peninsula League Premier East last season, on their way to finishing in fifth place.

Bridport’s defensive record was only the ninth-best of the 17 teams and was the worst of the top-five clubs.

Chris Herbst’s men also conceded 12 goals in seven cup games, meaning Bridport shipped a total of 68 goals in 43 matches.

READ MORE: Bridport confirm pre-season schedule

And the Bees only kept four clean sheets all season, a statistic Herbst is keen to address when Bridport report back from their summer break this evening.

Among the tactics to tackle the problem is a light friendly schedule, with only five matches against external clubs, designed to allow more time on the training ground before the 2024/25 campaign begins.

Speaking to Echosport, Herbst said: “That’s not a nice stat we want to look at.

“On that front, it’s a bit of everything. It’s obviously defensively but as a team we’ve got to be harder to play against.

“Now the season’s done, you think back to things and it’s sloppy things. As soon as we lose possession, everyone’s got to know what their job is.

“That’s what we’ll be working a lot on, positioning, where we want the team to be in certain aspects of the game and so on.

“It’s a big pre-season for us and it’s quite obvious what we need to work on. Jim (Lukosius, coach) has planned the sessions.”

Bridport’s first pre-season friendly comes at home to Portland United on Saturday, July 6 (3pm).