SWINDON Supermarine manager Dave Webb apologised to the home fans yesterday after they watched and underperforming side fall to a 2-1 defeat against Bishops Cleeve.

Webb went into the game full of confidence after his side won both their opening two games of the new campaign without conceding.

However, two strikes in eight first-half minutes put Supermarine on the back foot and they were unable to recover.

A late deflected free-kick from Luke Hopper gave the hosts a glimmer of hope with three minutes remaining but it wasn’t enough to prevent Supermarine tasting defeat for the first time this season.

“I am bitterly disappointed after what had been a really good first two games,” said Webb.

“Unfortunately on Saturday we have not performed and I would like to apologise to the people who have paid to watch the team, because what they have delivered is not good enough.

“I will tell them when it is good, but I will also tell them when it is bad, and we had too many players that didn’t perform.

“I think we had five or six who were nowhere near the levels that they have shown in the previous games, and you can’t play this game with five players.”

Despite the visitors starting the brighter of the two teams, pressing Supermarine high up the pitch, it was the hosts who could have been in front in the opening 20 minutes.

After 15 minutes Ryan Stanners hit the byline and after a neat turn pulled the ball back to Connor Waldon who fired over from inside the box, before the striker saw another good effort parried away by Mat Wieczok in the 20th minute.

Supermarine were made to pay for not taking their early chances after 25 minutes when Elliott Kennedy made a run along the byline from a throw-in before drilling the ball to the far post where Jordan Brian was unmarked to side-foot home.

Bishops Cleeve doubled their lead eight minutes later when Supermarine failed to clear their lines and Jack Watts got a shot off in the box, which was flicked past a hapless Matt Bulman by Kennedy inside the six-yard box.

Supermarine were on top for most of the second half but lacked the intensity need to break down a stubborn Bishops Cleeve defence.

A break through did come in the 87th minute when Oli Bailey was pulled down by Luke Hitchman and Hopper saw his effort at goal deflected past, but it was not enough to prevent Bishops Cleeve walking away with three points.

“I thought Bishops Cleeve worked really hard and their front three were lively,” added Webb.

“I think the goals we conceded are just nightmare goals to concede and we didn’t play with an urgency, or a tempo, until the last 10 minutes of the game, where we could have rescued a point.

“We need to be better than that."