Basingstoke Town 2, Dorchester Town 2
ERNIE Howe bemoaned his Basingstoke Town side's lack of a killer instinct after 10-man Dorchester earned an unlikely draw with a late equaliser.
The Camrose Blues boss felt his strikers had more than enough chances to secure a comfortable success and said he was "disappointed not to have won the game".
Town overturned Dorchester's one-goal advantage - gained against the run of play thanks to Jamie Brown's 10th minute lob over Scott Tarr from the edge of the box after he beat the goalkeeper to a through ball - to lead 2-1 at the interval.
Martin Whiddett got Howe's men back on track when he bravely rose at the near post to powerfully convert Cristian Levis' perfect 21st minute cross.
Whiddett went close again with another header - only just held up on the line by a full-length left dive from 'keeper Rocco Bacchini - before Levis put Town in front on 35 minutes.
The Argentinean, whose shirt was being tugged by Simon Radcliffe in the box, stayed on his feet, turned the full-back and fired a low drive into the net.
But profligacy came back to haunt Town when Justin Keeler's tremendous volleyed finish, from an acute angle on the left edge of the six-yard box in the 84th minute, levelled proceedings.
The Dorchester players wildly celebrated the goal as a reward for their second-half endeavours, having played a man down for 20 minutes before Keeler's strike.
Magpies captain Alex Browne, previously booked for a bad tackle on Sergio Torres, was shown a straight red-card in the 65th minute for foul and abusive language towards the linesman.
Howe felt it was an incident that galvanised their visitors, who, after a bright second half start, were pushed back by Town's attacking verve.
After Browne walked to an early bath, his team-mates raised their game, helped also by Town, who gradually rescinded territory and impetus.
It could have been a lot different had Torres, on a superb break from midfield that left the Dorchester defence chasing shadows, netted instead of bringing a fine stop from Bacchini, who spilled the ball.
Whiddett pounced, but Bacchini blocked the forward's efforts. Again, the ball fell to a blue and yellow shirt, but Levis' shot looped up off Radcliffe and over the bar.
Keeler's goal came after an indifferent 10- minute spell in the match, but the final chance of the game should have yielded a Basingstoke winner.
In injury time, Nathan Stamp's low cross was turned over the bar at close quarters by substitute Gary Haylock, who should have done better.
Howe certainly felt it was two points dropped but, after last week's 4-0 debacle in the FA Trophy against Windsor and Eton, he said there were a lot of plus points.
"Generally, it was a massive improvement. We showed appetite and good character to come back from a goal down," he said.
"Our two goals were very well created and taken, but it's disappointing we haven't taken our other chances to win by a few clear goals.
"I didn't want the sending off to happen as I knew it would lift them, but we didn't make life easy for ourselves by trying to play the wonder ball and giving them possession."
Basingstoke Town: Scott Tarr, Brett Cooper, Scott Smith, Jason Bristow, Neville Stamp, David Ray, Cristian Levis (Jamie McClurg 83 min), Sergio Torres, Martin Whiddett, Neville Roach (Gary Haylock 69 min), Nathan Stamp. Not used: Liam Parrington, Ricky Allaway, Liam Castle.
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