WHITES skipper Kane O’Keefe admitted that pre-match comments on Twitter from Bemerton boss Graham Kemp added extra incentive for his side in the Salisbury derby on Monday.

Salisbury won the clash 3-1 but the former Bemerton player said the Tweets in the wake of the FA Vase defeat against Hereford from the ex-Dorchester manager had touched a nerve in the dressing room.

Kemp wrote on social media: “Just checked. Salisbury is still 82.7 miles from Wembley. #cheatsneverprosper” and “@twenty3four my opinion is well known for any club. Pay money you can’t afford and win trophies and go bust is cheating. Live to your means”.

The comments caused a storm amongst Salisbury fans on social media with many threatening to boycott the bank holiday game. In the end a healthy crowd of 620 were at Western Way to see goals from O’Keefe, Ashley Jarvis and Stephen Walker seal a comfortable win.

After the game Whites boss Steve Claridge and director Ian Ridley both exchanged words outside the changing rooms with Kemp.

However, when asked about the spat, Claridge took a more conciliatory tone.

“I don’t watch [social media] or go on it so I have no idea what happened,” he said. “All I wanted was to win a game of football.

“Salisbury supporters wanted to win this game more than any of the others. It was another game that we had to win and we have done it. Move on.”

Kemp, who has been at the helm at Western Way for just over a year, apologised to Salisbury fans after the game.

“For me it is a storm in a teacup,” he said. “I’ll hold my hands up, I sent out a tweet last week but for me it only went to my friends.

“I don’t have loads of followers, but then someone has forwarded it on. I’m not blaming anyone else, it is my fault for posting it.

“But, I have stayed off it since, I have not tried to inflame the situation. I sent one tweet and just blocked everyone’s responses because it got out of hand. I’ll take what is coming to me on Twitter but we have got games next week, Salisbury have got games next week and hopefully we can move on.

“I can understand it has touched a nerve with Salisbury and for that I apologise, it wasn’t meant as an inflammatory thing.”

The Bemerton manager also spoke of his frustration at his side’s slow start. Salisbury scored twice in the opening 20 minutes on Monday.

“I spoke before the game about being on the front foot and getting in their faces but we conceded after pretty much their first decent attack,” he said.

“It just knocked the confidence out of us. We gave them two soft goals and the lads knew at half-time they had not done themselves justice.

“We scored a great goal in the second half and I would have liked to have seen us hold on for ten minutes. I couldn’t fault my players at all. The first thing you have to give is 100 per cent and that is what they all gave.”