Ton-up Dan is man to end Bees' winless run (From This is Hampshire)

Ton-up Dan is man to end Bees' winless run

5:40pm Sunday 24th February 2013 in Hampshire Sport By Adam Summers

BRIDPORT 4 HALLEN 3

TREVOR Senior conceded the luck was with his side at St Mary’s Field on Saturday as Dan Wise scored his 100th Bees goal before getting a contentious late winner.

However the win came about it was Bridport’s first in the league since October 20 and was all the more important given that teams around them near the foot of the Toolstation Western Premier Division also won.

The hosts had gone 3-1 up early in the second half only to see fifth-placed Hallen level with two goals in five minutes.

But after Ben Clarke had seen what appeared to be a legitimate goal disallowed by a linesman Wise stepped up to score with a free-kick just minutes from the end.

However, while the assistant ruled the ball had crossed the goal line after hitting the cross bar, from the reaction of the players it was apparent that the shot had not gone over the whitewash.

Bees’ boss Senior was more than happy to accept his team’s fortitude, espec- ially as they seemed to have a perfec- tly good goal chalked off earlier in the half.

“The Hallen players said the first one did cross the line and the second one didn’t so it looks like the officials got it the wrong way round,” said Senior. “We had a little bit of luck but no more than the lads deserved.

“I would have taken a point at 3-3 so was very pleased with the three points and as it turned out with other teams around us winning they were even more important.

“The lads deserved it and it was nice to see a smile on their faces afterwards.

“And they were joking that because it had been so long since they’d won they had forgotten what to do after a win.

“That’s four good performances in a row and five points from 12 when we could easily have had 12 from 12.

“If I’d been offered a point from the three games last week I would have taken it but we got five, which is better than we expected.

“Now we can look at it as three games unbeaten as opposed to 12 without a win.”

Wise opened the scoring on 11 minutes with a strike from 12 yards before Hallen equalised from a corner just after the half-hour mark.

Ryan Dovell made it 2-1 just before the break, heading in a Wise free-kick, then a Hallen player put through his own net on 48 minutes.

But the visitors fought back and in no time were on level terms. Then followed the disallowed Clarke strike and with a draw looking likely, Wise’s controversial winner sealed it for the Bees.

On Wise’s feat of reaching 100 goals for the club, Senior added: “Dan is a Bee through and through and it’s not just about goals for him.

“He has usually got the most assists for the team and the other two goals we scored were from his set-pieces.”

Bees: S Filkins, J Filkins, Condliffe, Stordy, C Clarke, R Hayter, Luke, Wise, Dovell, Symes, B Clarke (Ritchie 71). Subs not used: Legg, Richardson, A Clarke, Evans