Bermuda coach Michael Findlay had no qualms planning for the two Concacaf Nations League matches against Dominica, knowing that Nahki Wells was available for only one of them.

Wells, in his first match for Bermuda since March last year, scored a first-half hat-trick and also provided an assist to lead the Gombey Warriors to a 6-1 triumph on Saturday, but then departed the island the day after to prepare for Bristol City’s Sky Bet Championship match away to Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Without their talisman, Bermuda laboured to a 3-2 victory over the same opponents on Tuesday, and Findlay was pleased with how the team and staff coped with Wells’s early departure.

“That was an agreement we had with Bristol City and Nahki when we were speaking about him coming back,’’ Findlay said.

“He was very excited about it and is glad to be back in the fold of the national team, but he also has a career that he has to look after.

“When we discussed him coming back, we said let’s ease you back into the situation and into the environment.

“As long as he was fit, he was going to play and we knew we had players that could come into the role for the second match.

“We wanted him in the first game to set the tone. We wanted him to integrate with the group, bring his experience and passion, and that’s what he did.

“Given that he is pushing for first team with Bristol City and they were playing away against Middlesbrough, it was decided that it was best for him to come in for the first match.”

Bermuda head into the final two Concacaf Nations League matches in Dominican Republic next month with a chance of qualifying for the Gold Cup. Should they lose out on an automatic spot by failing to finish top of the group, they can still book a spot via the play-offs if they finish as one of the best two runners-up in the four League B groups.

At this stage iet appears that Wells will be in the squad for the crucial fixtures against Antigua & Barbuda and Dominican Republic.

“We look forward to seeing him in November in the critical matches in Dominican Republic,’’ the coach said.

“As far as both parties are concerned, he is joining us in November.

“The plan was in place when he rejoined us that he would continue to be a part of the team. He’s a professional who knows it’s an honour to represent his country and he likes doing it.

“He knows the plan we have in place and he is in complete support of that. We’re quite pleased and comfortable with what the next steps are come November.”

In both matches against Dominica, Bermuda looked vulnerable at the start of the second half, conceding on the hour mark on Saturday and in the 50th and 59th minutes on Tuesday. That forms part of a worrying pattern after Honduras scored four goals in the first 17 minutes of the second half during the World Cup qualifier in June .

“We seem to have a dip in our performance in and around the 55th to the 65th minute in our games, especially if we have established control or a lead.” Findlay said.

“It always seems to haunt us a little bit and we have to address that. Fixing that comes with focus and an understanding of exactly what we need to do.

“Tuesday was a prime example of what I would like to call a wounded dog, and those are not the types of dogs you want to be around because they’re unpredictable.

“We found it difficult to break them down and they made a tactical choice that gave us trouble. In the end, we solved it and that’s what we were there to do, to get the three points.

“It was a difficult and frustrating match, and we know we can do better than that. The most important thing is that we needed six points out of this window and that’s what we got.”

Findlay was booked in the 82nd minute of the game on Tuesday night after remonstrating with the fourth official, and the coach admitted his frustration after Dominica’s Malachai Bonney was shown only a yellow card for a nasty tackle on Kole Hall, with the striker carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital.

“I believe the ability to communicate with officials is paramount in the game,’’ Findlay said.

“It’s always a situation where we want to display a level of respect, but then you have to protect your players.

“Tuesday was a prime example of our players being targeted. I made my views very clear to the fourth official and I’m not ashamed of that because I always stand for my players when they need protection.

“The Kole Hall situation is good in that at least there’s no fracture, which is what we were concerned about. We still need the swelling to come down in the next couple of days to get a full assessment of the injury.

“It was a horrendous tackle and in my opinion that was not a bookable offence. It was an offence that should have come with an expulsion, and that’s what I made clear to the fourth official.”