Allinson proud despite defeat to leaders
Lee Allinson paid tribute to his Hemel Hempstead Town players despite them falling to a 2-1 defeat at leaders Dorking Wanderers on Saturday.
Dorking fought back after Remaye Campbell had put Hemel in front but the Tudors put in a good display throughout.
Allinson’s men were then due to visit Weston-super-Mare on Tuesday night, after this week’s Gazette went to press, but he told the club’s media after Saturday’s game that he thought his players deserved a lot of credit.
He said: “I’m a very proud manager today. I thought we were excellent, coming off the back of some really hard away games. We knew we'd have spells without the ball, but we felt that we'd cause some problems on the counter-attack, and we did that really well.
"I thought we had the the four best chances of the game and could have gone in two or three up at half-time as we limited them to very very little.
“In the second-half we came out and the firepower they’ve got is very good and I just felt we got a little bit deep and conceded, then we changed our shape and looked good and had an unbelievable chance just before their penalty, before we switched off with a moment of madness.
"I don't talk too much about the man in the middle, but today I'm really disappointed. You look at little things like the foul by the dugout in the first half. He played on for 11 seconds before he pulled it back for a for a foul to them. He gives them a penalty, which I think is a penalty, but the foul leading up with a two-handed push on on Louis in the box - it's a clear foul and these are crucial moments and crucial decisions that have got to go your way and I just felt we didn't get them today.
"Having said that, to even have them on the back foot like we did there in the last few minutes and force them to clear one off the line at the end, it was an exceptional performance.”
Hemel host Chesham on Good Friday before going to Enfield Town on Easter Monday.