Screwfix Premier Division: Sorry Devizes suffered another setback in their battle to beat the drop as high-flying Bridgwater Town capitalised on some generous defending to take the points at Nursteed Road.

Frontman Graham Cheeseman was handed two first half goals on a plate and Danny Milford benefited from more slack play to increase the visitors' lead early in the second half.

Ryan Lovegrove's 69th minute penalty proved no more than a consolation for Devizes, who are now staring First Division football in the face.

Manager Pete Tripp knows his side need to tighten up at the back if they are to have any chance of beating the drop. He said: "We had a nice shape in the first half, but gave them two goals. You can't come back in the second half against a side like that.

"We can't defend. It has been our problem all season. We've left one up front and put nine men behind the ball and still couldn't stop them scoring.

"The first goal was a terrible one to give away. I can't do anything about that, no manager can. If the players can't mark and attack the ball, then we are going to concede goals."

Tripp was heartened by his side's refusal to lie down and accept defeat in the second half, and admitted he had feared the worst when Bridgwater scored twice inside the first 21 minutes.

He said: "They are playing with a bit more heart, but the fear factor is still there. When we went two down they looked like a side that had lost already.

"There isn't a great deal I can take out of it, only the fact we haven't been thrashed out of sight. It wasn't a hammering. Welton got beaten 8-0 last week and I'm so wary that we're going to crumble like that."

The home side suffered an early blow when lone striker Neil Dix was carried off in the tenth minute with an ankle injury and replaced by youngster Justin Lisle. Devizes fell behind four minutes later. Captain Dave Hopkins conceded a corner and the unmarked Cheeseman was given the freedom of Nursteed Road to head home Bradley Peters' left wing kick at the near post.

Cheeseman floored Ben Hardman with a crude challenge straight from the restart, but escaped with a caution and bagged his second on 21 minutes.

Richard Smith's long ball found the striker inside the area, and he shrugged off Hopkins' challenge before waltzing through unchallenged to slip the ball past goalkeeper Stuart Swann.

Dan Mason saw a header cleared from Stuart Skinner's right-wing corner at the other end, while Chris Young volleyed just wide for Bridgwater after Devizes failed to clear their lines.

Lovegrove almost caught Ben Fellows out with a lob from fully 35-yards, but the visiting goalkeeper recovered to tip the ball behind for a corner. Skinner's delivery from the right was flicked on by Hopkins to Simon Drewitt, but the wing-back shot wide from a decent position at the back post.

Bridgwater stretched their advantage ten minutes into the second half. The impressive Peters found space on the left and centred for Milford to beat Swann with a side-footed finish.

Cheeseman was narrowly off-target with a fierce cross-shot, before Jose Diaz's right wing centre rebounded to safety off Swann's crossbar.

Devizes grabbed a lifeline with 21 minutes left. Drewitt was impeded by Craig Rice as he chased substitute Nathan Sheridan's through ball and Lovegrove stepped up to beat Fellows with a confident spot kick.

The midfielder almost added a second two minutes later. He tricked his way past four defenders on the edge of the box but was denied by Shane Gage's challenge.

With the transfer deadline looming, Tripp knows he must rely on his current crop of players to haul the club out of the relegation zone.

He said: "In the last few weeks we've lost Chris Copp, Nathan Perkins and players like that. It isn't an excuse but it's not helping. We have nothing to replace them.

"Nobody is going to want to come into a struggling side and all you end up with is players who are no better than the ones you've already got."