WEYMOUTH boss Bobby Wilkinson believes Poole Town’s 1-0 friendly win over the Terras was their "cup final”.

Wilkinson’s men lost for the first time in five pre-season outings thanks to Tony Lee’s eighth-minute strike against a club he left on the eve of the 2018/19 season.

An entertaining friendly featured big chances not taken at both ends, with Weymouth goalkeeper Gerard Benfield busier than counterpart Luke Cairney.

Wilkinson’s assessment, however, was that Poole cared more about the result than Weymouth, who he argued were simply topping up match minutes.

He told Echosport: “It was a very good performance from us, we played very well.

“I just wish we were a little more clinical in front of goal. I’m really pleased we made the chances.

“Two tough games back-to-back and we got what we needed out of the friendly. It’s all about minutes and it was a tough friendly.

“It was Poole’s cup final, it was so noticeable. They’ve got to do what’s right for them.

“For us, it was preparing for the season ahead. Making sure we got minutes, making sure we could compete in back-to-back games.

“The gameplan worked for us. It’s not about results for me. It was for Poole, I have no qualms about that.”