ALRESFORD Town co-boss Tim Cole was disappointed with the result but impressed by the quality of football as his side lost out 3-2 to Sydenhams Premier title favourites Sholing at Arlebury Park on Saturday.

The Magpies put up a titanic fight against Dave Diaper’s hotly-fancied Boatmen, but finally slipped to defeat in the last quarter of an hour after goalkeeper Jason Collins had seen red.

Alresford are here to play football and, although we lost, it was a great game played in the right spirit and how football should be played,” said the sporting Cole.

“Hopefully the Sholing fans who came got their money’s worth.”

Pledging to keep the Magpies playing their entertaining brand of passing football, Cole added: “I am not going to waste my Saturday afternoons watching unattractive football.

“Myself, Dan (Robinson, co-boss), Carl (Whittington, coach) and Dale (Clist, goalkeeping coach) want to enjoy it.

“Me and Dan watch a lot of football and most of the games I find boring.

“Hopefully you will not get that at Alresford.

“Gates have increased every year.

“The chairman Trevor Ingram does put his hand in his pocket, but it is to improve training facilities and facilities at the ground and he lets us get on with the football.

“The players, who I have the utmost respect for, want to work on their technical abilities and improve.

“They are in a great environment to enjoy their football and they believe in what we are trying to achieve, playing exciting football.

“It is hard to compete with the Sholings, Winchesters, Portchesters and Blackfields, but we thrive on that.

“Saturday’s game was a cracker, which we think could have gone either way, and watching Diaps (Sholing boss Dave Diaper and his coaching staff) showed how close it was.” The Boatmen were the first to show with Lee Bright firing over and Collins saving well from Tyronne Bowers.

Alresford soon settled after an indifferent start with Mike McEnery threatening down the right, but they fell behind on 43 minutes when Sholing regained possession after Collins had saved at the feet of Marvin McLean.

When the Boatmen’s winger tried a second time, he was brought down by the ’keeper. Two defenders on the line spared Collins a red card, but Bowers sent him the wrong way from the spot.

Town took just two minutes to equalise when Dominic Cope capped a sweeping move by firing across Matt Brown from the left corner of the box McEnery and Zach Glasspool missed gilt-edged chances at the start of the second half and, on 54 minutes, Sholing punished them by regaining the lead – Ashley Jarvis firing into the top right of Collins’ net.

Again the Magpies found an answer, as Warren Bentley set up McEnery to net on 62 minutes after a typically skilful burst through the middle.

But on 69 minutes they fell into arrears again when Lee Wort headed home a corner.

Alresford then suffered a major blow when Collins brought down Wort as he bore down on goal and this time saw red.

Sub ’keeper Jarid Hixon superbly thwarted Bowers from the spot and, to their credit, Alresford played their part in the frenetic end-to-end action which continued right up to the final whistle.