TROWBRIDGE head coach Dan Jeffries says that his side’s opening day of the season 17-7 defeat at North Dorset left feeling ‘the most disappointed’ he has been during his time at Doric Park.

Jeffries, who returned to the club last season, had talked about securing promotion from Southern Counties South this term.

However, North Dorset had other ideas and ensure that Trowbridge returned home empty-handed.

“It’s probably the most disappointed I have been since I have been at the club,” Jeffries said.

“They got in our 22 three times in the whole game, probably for a grand total of two minutes and scored three tries.

“We spent most of the rest of the game in their half, a lot of it hammering at their line but we just didn’t convert.

“We made too many mistakes. We weren’t clinical enough and we just weren’t as professional as we have been in pre-season.

“I think using the first game excuse would be an easy out. Pre-season has gone well, we know how to perform. Maybe a few guys went in there a bit over-confident.”

After a pointless opening 20 minutes, Lee Fairclough broke the deadlock with a try, which Will Thompson converted to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.

However, North Dorset responded immediately with a converted score of their own.

After the break, Trowbridge were punished for wallowing in self pity as North Dorset grabbed the winning points.

“We went in at seven each, feeling really hard done by and straight from the off they scored again and that was us,” Jeffries said.

“There was probably five minutes of the game that we weren’t sharp and then the pressure of chasing the game was just too much for us.”

Trowbridge will welcome fellow title hopefuls Sherborne to Doric Park on Saturday, with Jeffries eager to maintain his team’s proud home record.

“We’d have said they were one of the two teams to beat and Sherborne have got the result to get them off on a good note,” he said.

“We know how to beat Sherborne, we beat them at our place last year and we haven’t lost at Doric Park for over a year.

“The boys have got to look hard at themselves and rise to the challenge of Saturday.

“Sherborne have got some really good rugby players and we have to play in a way that we know will win us the game.”