The Dubbo side hosted the Western Premier League (WPL) newcomers at No.1 Oval and it was the latter who came away with a 3-2 victory.

Bathurst's Tom Rooke nailed two penalty shots at goal with Athaui Aluk also scoring for the visitors while Alex Richardson-Bell and Scott Fox scored for Dubbo.

The win for Bathurst keeps them undefeated through the first four rounds of the WPL season while the Bulls have won just a single match to date.

Dubbo Bulls goalkeeper Hayden Williams said the side was right in the game up until the full time, never taking a backward step against Bathurst.

"I don't think we played too bad, we probably just didn't capitalise on opportunities," he said.

"It's early in the competition still and I think we'll be on the way up."

The match was a fast-paced battle right from the start as both sides failed to score during the first 45 minutes, this was until Bathurst were awarded a penalty late in the opening half with Rooke converting to give '75 a 1-0 lead at the break.

READ ALSO:

As good sides do, the Bulls found a way to hit back immediately after play resumed with Richardson-Bell scoring off a clever long throw in.

Aluk got the visitors back in the lead 60 minutes into the match before Fox headed an equaliser home to bring the score to 2-all with 14 minutes remaining.

With only five minutes left in the match, Rooke slotted a second penalty shot to give his side the lead, which they held for the remainder of the game.

Like most teams in the competition, Williams admitted Bulls' preparation leading into the game was less than ideal after rain cancelled trainings during the week.

"Not being able to have a run around during the week sort of damages the outcome on the weekend a little bit," he said.

"But I suppose it is what it is, it's wet everywhere so there is no real excuse there."

While they may have only won just the one match, there is no panic in the Bulls camp yet and Williams is confident the team will continue to improve each week.

"I think we came out alright but just didn't capitalise on opportunities and made a few little mistakes we can improve on in the coming weeks," he said.

"We've had a few blokes in and out which doesn't help the situation either but hopefully we can get every fit and healthy.

"Then we can get a consistent team on the park which will make a difference as well."

Dubbo Bulls will have a chance to refresh and prepare for their next match when they have the bye in round five.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: