Hartpury FC suffered late heartbreak during a 2-1 defeat to Dorchester Town at the Avenue Stadium, on Saturday.
Louis Manning’s sixth goal of the season was cancelled out by two second half strikes, seeing the Magpies take all three Southern League Div One South points.
The Acorns headed to Dorset naming an unchanged eleven for a third straight game, whilst also seeing midfielder Rory Preston return to the bench.
The Acorns started brightly with Nathan Jenkins and Noah Coates both testing Magpies goalkeeper, Ryan Hall, with low driven efforts inside the opening six minutes.
Morgan Ewing had a half chance on nine minutes when he tried a low effort from distance, but the shot trickled into Hall’s hands.
The Magpies’ shot stopper was in fine form at the start of proceedings, producing a double save to deny a Louis Manning close range effort before getting back up and across to beat away Coates’ follow up effort.
The Acorns early pressure paid off well on 23 minutes when, after an outrageous long ball from Riley McGregor, Manning brought the ball down and lifted his effort over Hall and into the back of the net from just inside the area.
Seth Locke made sure the Acorns took that lead into the break, on 28 minutes, when he pulled of an unbelievable top corner save to deny a curling Matty Burrows free kick.
HALF TIME – DORCHESTER TOWN 0-1 HARTPURY FC
McGregor saw a volleyed effort fly the wrong side of the post on 48 minutes, after he met a dangerous Coates cross.
Locke was called upon once again to produce a low save on 53 minutes, denying Freddie Beale.
But the Magpies levelled up proceedings two minutes later when Burrows produced a composed finish from close range to beat a man on the line.
Things got a little tense for the Acorns following that goal when a Josh Roney clearance rebounded off a Magpie player and gratefully bounced past the far post, on the hour mark.
Billy Osborn tested Hall with a sharp driven effort, on 65 minutes, but the Magpies’ shot stopper was down well to beat the effort away.
Manning struck the side netting after meeting a low Osborn cross, on 73 minutes, following a long ball over the top from Locke.
The Acorns threw everything at the Magpies to retake the lead and went extremely close on 84 minutes when Kian Davies struck the post from 20-yards.
Jenkins fired inches over the bar moments later before Davis would replicate that effort on 89 minutes, firing over following a short corner routine.
But it would be the Magpies who stole all three points in the third minute of additional when Ethan Taylor fired home from the spot, condemning the Acorns to back-to-back defeats.
The Acorns are back in action on Tuesday night, when we hit the road yet again towards Sporting Club Inkberrow.
FULL TIME – DORCHESTER TOWN 2-1 HARTPURY FC
STARTING XI: Locke (GK), Kent, Robinson (Symons 90+4), McGregor, Roney, Davies, Jenkins, Coates, Manning, Osborn © (Sanniola 80’)
UNUSED SUBS: Aldridge, Preston, Silva
ATTENDANCE: 565
Written by Sam Yapp
