A CONTROVERSIAL first half penalty gifted Team Bath the points at Hunts Copse and sent Supermarine spiralling to a first home defeat of the season.

Marine boss Mark Collier was furious with the referee after Leigh Henry was judged to have dragged down Sean Canham with five minutes of the first half remaining.

Canham needed two bites of the cherry to beat Tom King from the spot, but his follow-up was enough to keep the students sitting pretty at the top of the Premier Division.

Collier felt his team were hard done by after matching the league leaders for much of the match.

He said: "I don't want to blame the officials because they're not the ones who conceded the goal, but I thought they were very poor today overall.

"For the penalty the ball has come over Cedric's (Abraham) head which was disappointing. It went into the feet of the striker and there was always going to be contact.

"The striker has gone to ground and it seems like the referee can't wait to blow.

"It was a bit harsh to lose on a penalty like that."

Despite the defeat, Collier insists his players can take heart from the way they performed against last season's runners-up.

He said: "Team Bath lost in the play-offs last year and they will be looking to get back there again.

"My lads have taken them right to the limit today and they are absolutely gutted in the changing room.

"For me that's a big positive because it shows how far we've come in such a short space of time.

"We will pick ourselves up from this defeat and go again at Bedford on Saturday."

Marine failed to heed the early warning after Matt Townley's long throw from the right fell to winger Ben Thomson at the far post, who somehow volleyed wide from eight yards.

Livewire striker Josh Llewellyn brought the best out of King when he forced the Marine gloveman into a flying save with a rasping effort from long range on the half hour mark.

Two minutes later Henry blocked bravely at the feet of Canham as the Team Bath target man prepared to pounce.

When the same two players tangled following another aerial bomb from Townley, referee John Wheeler pointed to the spot.

Henry was booked for his protests but it made no difference as Canham took two attempts to find the net from 12 yards.

Mr Wheeler was at the centre of another storm early in the second half when he booked Team Bath skipper Gary Warren for a foul on Ashley Edenborough.

Warren looked to be the last man when he scythed Edenborough to the ground, but surprisingly the card was yellow.

After his lucky escape, Warren almost rubbed salt into the wound with an athletic volley which King did brilliantly to tip onto the crossbar.

Four Marine players saw yellow in the second half as frustrations began to boil over in the Bank Holiday sunshine.

But the hosts could have snatched an equaliser in stoppage time when Henry, pushed up as a third striker, saw his close-range effort blocked by Sami El-Abd.

n ROSS Adams rescued a point for lacklustre Chippenham Town as the Bluebirds were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Bashley.

Aaron Cornwall fired the hosts in front with his first Chippenham goal after 15 minutes, but Bashley hit back to lead 2-1 at the break.

Chippenham got out of jail when Adams rose to head home Kye Holly's free-kick with just nine minutes remaining.

Cirencester Town crashed 1-0 at home to Banbury United.

Ady Fuller's 76th-minute penalty leaves the Centurions still searching for their first win under new boss Adie Viveash.