Following yet another enforced break

A car parking arrangement that caused the late arrival of players and officials alike, and a test that proved just too much for us and another clear indication of how much our offensive players are being missed.

In a relatively nondescript opening, it seemed evident, although to be proved wrong later, that this was a one-goal game. Both sides seeming to focus more on stopping their opponent rather than striving for an opening and a clear cut chance. That said, early on a slick move saw Gavin Quintyne run through only for a heavy touch to deny him the chance to get his shot away, presenting a grateful keeper the opportunity to collect the ball comfortably rather than making an expected save.

Gradually our hosts gained a foothold, and although we were relatively untroubled it is fair to say that Dan Fisher was the busier of the two goalkeepers, he being asked on at least three occasions to make good catches under pressure. Our second chance of the half however just before the break could have given us the lead, when a fine build up down the left resulted in Gavin Quintyne shooting narrowly wide.
Having not played for ten days it was hoped that the somewhat sluggish nature of our play would improve having had forty-five minutes under our belts, and so it proved ten minutes after the restart.

Dan Fishers long clearance being hunted down by Quintyne, who easily out muscled his marker, enabling him to cleverly volley home from the edge of the box to give us the lead.

With something to protect a disciplined ten minutes was needed, a fact that couldn’t have escaped the players as orders to re organise were immediately barked from the technical area not least by Andy Ellis, who time and again recognises the dangers immediately following a goal. Disappointingly the warning was not heeded, and just two minutes later our hosts were level when a series of mistakes allowed a free header, and our hard work was undone in an instant. If that was bad what followed proved disastrous, as another slack phase of player saw an unchallenged attempted cross find the back of the net and so within five minutes of taking the lead we were behind.

With half an hour remaining it seemed that the game was split into two distinctive halves. Firstly a return to the chanceless nondescript play that we saw at the start, and the final fifteen minutes seeing caution thrown to the wind that could quite easily have seen us fall further behind or get the equaliser.

Unfortunately despite carving out a couple of promising openings our finishing left a lot to be desired and as a result we suffered another defeat, keeping us firmly at the wrong end of the current form table.