Tim Bond took the positives from the second half as his Brimscombe & Thrupp side suffered a 4-2 Hellenic League Division One West home defeat against in-form Sharpness.
The Lilywhites have suffered five defeats from their opening seven games and currently sit at the bottom of the embryonic league table.
The hosts made a positive start but found themselves 3-0 down at the break as the Sharks struck through James Tainton, Brad Hewer and Will Tainton.
The Lilywhites responded after the break, pulling a goal back thanks to an own goal from Daniel Parry. Callum Blackford then added another for Bond’s side to set up a nervy finish.
But the Sharks eventually settled their nerves as Mike Bryant struck their fourth in the sixth minute of added time.
Bond said: “We started the game really, really positively. We had an early chance where we probably should have scored, and that could have changed the game completely.
“But listen, I thought we stood off Sharpness far too much in the first half. It was nowhere near the standards we’ve set ourselves. We allowed them to play and, at times, it looked like they had five yards around them with absolutely no pressure whatsoever.
“The three goals we conceded were more of the same really — poor decision-making, not being on our toes and, ultimately, not applying enough pressure. That’s something we’re going to have to make sure we put right very quickly.”
Bond admitted his players received some strong words at the interval, but praised their response after the break.
“As you can imagine, we had a few strong words at half-time, and to be fair to the lads, it completely changed in the second half. We were much brighter, tighter on and off the ball, and the quality in possession was much better too.
“That led to us getting two late goals and gave us a bit of a platform.
“Unfortunately, it was probably a little bit too late to get anything from the game. They scored their fourth when we were throwing men forward, but that’s football. We had to take that risk because we were chasing the game.”
Despite the result, Bond believes there were encouraging signs after the interval and insists his squad has the ability to turn things around.
“There are certainly a lot more positives to take from the second half. But ultimately, we find ourselves in a position, like most of the games so far, where we’re giving ourselves far too much to do.
“Our squad has the ability. We know that. We just need to fine-tune things, get the balance right and, most importantly, start making sure we stop leaking goals.”
