MELKSHAM Town interim-manager Luke Ballinger felt his side were robbed of a deserved result for the second week in a row following their concession of an added-time penalty against Cirencester Town on the final weekend of the Southern League Division One South season, writes JONATHAN LEIGHFIELD.

Michael Pook slammed the injury-time spot-kick home to consign Melksham to an agonising 1-0 defeat in a game where the visitors created very few chances, according to Ballinger.

Melksham were unlucky to lose the previous week too in their 3-2 defeat to Yate Town – a game in which Ballinger felt his team were worthy of taking a point from.

Discussing the late heartbreak of conceding an unjustified penalty, in his eyes, and consequential red card for keeper Sam Thomson, Ballinger was once again full of praise for his young side.

He said: “I thought we were outstanding, to be honest.

“I think our goalkeeper made one good save in the second half, but other than that, Cirencester didn’t really troubled us. I think they know that they’ve got away with it a little bit.

“To concede a penalty in the 92nd minute, and in the circumstances that the penalty came around, it was very disappointing.

“I said last week that you don’t always get what you deserve, and that counts double this week.”

After a largely promising first half of the season, events at Melksham, both on and off the pitch, started to go downhill after Christmas.

Results began to tail away before an in-house disagreement that saw ex-manager Kieran Baggs and several members of the first-team squad depart resulted in a promising first season at Southern League level dissolve into disappointment.

Reflecting on the season, Ballinger paid tribute to the work that Baggs had put in and wants fans to remember a largely successful first season at their current level.

Ballinger said: “I think it’s important that we remember the job that Kieran did because without that job, we wouldn’t be where we are now as a football club.

“We’ve had tough times recently, but we’ve come through that and I think it’s really important to remember the season as a whole and not just the last six weeks.”