SWANAGE Town & Herston find themselves locked in a relegation battle after slipping to a 1-0 defeat against Dorchester Sports.

It is the fifth game in a row Tony Parrott's men have failed to pick up any points and leaves them third-from-bottom of the Dorset Premier League table.

They are five points clear of rock-bottom Shaftesbury Town reserves and have nine games remaining.

Against Dorchester, Swans had an early Charlie Brassington goal ruled out for offside, before Jack Hughes then went close to breaking the deadlock.

Alex Godfrey was then denied for the visitors, before at the other end Stephen Prior's fine run and pass just evaded Jake Streams as the half ended goalless.

The deadlock was finally broken when Dorchester's Curtis Hansford let fly from 25 yards, to give his side real hope of a first win of 2023.

Swanage applied pressure in the closing stages with Prior firing just wide and Brassington seeing a shot cleared off the line as Dorchester held on.

Swans welcome mid-table Sturminster Marshall to Day's Park on Saturday (3pm).

Swans: Hibbs, Goldsack (Magnier, 78), Chapman, Dyke, S Prior, Hughes (Steele, 60), Alayon, Brassington, Smith (Moore, 60), W Prior, Streams.