MELKSHAM Town were knocked out of the FA Cup in their first game of the season last week, and manager Darren Perrin has said he won’t tolerate such poor performances from the squad.
Town let a game they dominated slip away when a sending off and poor concentration saw United Services Portsmouth score twice against Perrin’s side.
Town dominated the Hampshire club, which plays in the Wessex League’s first division – a tier below Melksham – and Luke Ballinger scored after just 11 minutes.
However, Town could not find the net again and lapses in concentration saw them punished from a set piece in the 35th and then again in the 76th after midfielder Keiran Baggs was shown a red card in the 68th.
Town rallied at the end of the game, piling pressure on USP, but couldn’t get the finishing touch.
Manager Darren Perrin said, “I was furious with the performance and we lost out on a great chance to make some real progress.
“We lost out to a side who weren’t better than us because of lapses of concentration and ill discipline. We dominated the game and should have won convincingly but we paid the price for bad mistakes.
“Letting in that second goal was just ridiculous and we missed some unbelievably good chances.
“It was a disappointing day for the whole team and I won’t tolerate more performances like that.”
Melksham Town played league champions Odd Down away on Tuesday night. Speaking on Tuesday, Perrin said he hoped the players would redeem themselves in what would likely be one of the hardest games of the season.
• Town’s next fixture is away at Chipping Sodbury Town this Saturday 13th August at 3pm.
