TROWBRIDGE were left deflated at the weekend after a missed kick cost them the win against Swanage and Wareham.

With the visitors ahead 18-17, Joe Knight was the unfortunate soul who the pressure fell on, with starting number 10 Will Thompson having gone off injured earlier in the contest.

Phil Kilcoyne had charged down the wing just moments prior to go over the try line but the referee pulled the game back to an earlier infringement having not awarded the score.

However, Knight was unable to find a route between the posts to hand Trowbridge their first defeat under Dan Jeffries, who took over the reins in the summer.

“It was really disappointing,” said the Trowbridge head coach, with tries from Lewis Jordan and Knight having set up the grandstand finish.

“We are starting to pick up injuries and the squad size is starting to hit us a little bit.

“We went in missing a few, knowing that in a couple of areas we could be vulnerable.

“We potentially did enough to win the game but we weren’t quite clinical enough to get it done.

“Quite a big turning point for us was when Will went off injured and we were without a recognised 10 on the park.

“We coped really well but it was probably the missing link in there.

“In the last 15, they started to grind us down and came back with a try and two penalties, which put them a point up with a few minutes left.

“We had chances to win it, but we didn’t quite have enough.”

Trowbridge now turn their attentions to a trip to Marlborough, who sit a place and two points above them in Southern Counties South, on Saturday, with Jeffries confident his side, boosted by the return of some key individuals, can bounce straight back.

“Looking ahead, we have got most of the squad back this week going away to Marlborough,” he added.

“Again, it is quite a tough fixture. The first month of the season has seen us have quite a big set of fixtures and it quietens down soon.

“We’ll go away stronger than we have been since Devizes on the first game of the season and hope to get back on track.

“The boys have taken it on the chin. They won their first eight games with me and they knew at some point they were going to lose a game.

“We’ve reflected and we are ready for the weekend.”