DORCHESTER Town saw a stoppage-time penalty saved as Poole Town clung on to a 2-1 victory at the Avenue Stadium.

In Tom Killick’s first game against Poole since his sacking by the Dolphins, the visitors were comfortably and deservedly ahead at 2-0 thanks to Toby Holmes and a Corby Moore own goal.

Poole could have extended their lead with a succession of chances, but Dorchester held on and built a late assault in which hugely controversial penalty and offside goal decisions went against them.

In front of a baying 1,615-strong crowd, Will Spetch pulled one back against his former club but Shaq Gwengwe then won and missed the last-gasp spot-kick to give Poole the points.

READ MORE: Dorchester Town 1-2 Poole Town - how it happened

This was Dorchester’s fourth defeat in five completed league games and dropped them to 20th, while Poole are in seventh.

It came after the positivity of welcoming new goalkeeping signing Jake Viney to the club after the unfortunate injury to Adam Forster in the 2-0 loss at Chesham.

Viney has more than 300 appearances for Bridgwater across eight years with the Robins.

He was joined by two other changes as striker Will Fletcher missed out completely, while Pedro Borges dropped to the bench.

Skipper Jordan Ngalo was fit again after his hamstring niggle, while new striker Jonny Efedje also got his first Magpies start.

On the bench, Borges was joined by Leighton Thomas, Drew Eccott-Young, Louie Slough and Ieuan Turner.

Early on, Poole dealt well with Dorchester’s diagonal ball tactic to Olaf Koszela on the left wing, Declan Rose impressing against the ex-Torquay man.

And Poole took the lead in the 14th minute as Kaya Tshaka’s own diagonal drew Viney into nomansland and he was beaten by Tony Lee in the air, leaving Toby Holmes with a simple tap-in.

Lee headed wide a glorious chance on 20 minutes when unmarked and Holmes speared a shot against the near angle having left Spetch for dead.

It came as no surprise when Poole doubled their lead, ex-Dolphins midfielder Moore the unfortunate party as he nodded past the helpless Viney from six yards out.

Viney looked shaky in goal as Holmes beat him to a deft ball from fellow ex-Magpies’ man Billy Lowes, although the striker overran the chance.

Dorchester did threaten briefly before half-time as Efedje nudged Moore’s long free-kick through for Gwengwe, who snatched at the chance and blazed over.

However, the chance cast the dye for the second half as Dorchester improved vastly.

Koszela and Ollie Haste both had openings cruelly taken away through the ball sticking in their feet before sub Thomas, on for Efedje, drilled wide.

Poole were not without chances, either, as the menacing figure of Holmes forced Viney into a fine stop at his near post.

Borges, on for Dorchester’s Lewis Waterfield at half-time, then scored but the whistle had long since gone.

Poole skipper Jamie Whisken had the next chance of an entertaining half, shooting tamely at Viney, while Lee fizzed a stinger across the face of goal.

Then, the controversy began.

Spetch appeared to be flattened in a stone-wall penalty decision, which was perplexingly waved away by the officials.

Koszela then netted from close range as Dorchester pressure mounted, with the linesman on the near side somehow flagging for offside.

Dorchester did get one back through Spetch’s stooping header to set up a grandstand finish and, with 10 added minutes, the hosts sensed at least a point.

As Poole backpeddled, former Dorchester darling Cam Murray saw yellow for a poor tackle on Jack Dickson and the playmaker was fortunate to avoid red for delaying a Lowes free-kick.

But Dorchester then created a chance to win it as Gwengwe ran through into the box before going to ground in battle with Poole sub Remy Rees-Dottin.

The challenge was less of a penalty than the foul on Spetch, but a correct outcome nonetheless, only for Gwengwe to see his spot-kick saved to the left by a sprawling Lloyd Thomas, who haunted the club he left in October to seal three points for his current employers.

Magpies: Viney, Dickson, Haste, James, Ngalo (Slough 68), Waterfield (Borges 46), Moore, Koszela, Gwengwe, Efedje (Le Thomas 58), Spetch. Subs not used: Eccott-Young, Turner.

Poole: Ll Thomas, Rose (Rees-Dottin 89), Whisken, Wright, Lowes, Slade (Pardoe 83), Ojo (Samadi 68), Tshaka, Murray, Lee, Holmes. Sub not used: Tubbs.

Referee: Iain Parsons.

Attendance: 1,615.