So, we battered them for 25 mins, failed to convert many chances into the necessary goals, and then let them get a foot-hold on the game that we allowed to grow, only to wake up, but run out of time to claw our way back.

First 25 mins we played some excellent football, knocking the ball around, playing in triangles and opening up the opposition at will, but the final ball was either rushed or not thought through.
Matt almost scored from a 25 yard screamer, but we just didnt trouble their keeper enough.

They were relying on a long diaganol ball that we coped with okay, but gave away a few corners that put us under pressure. Indeed, we gave away a silly free kick wide right on 25 mins that should have been crossed in, but the ball flew into the far top corner to give them an undeserved lead. They soon doubled their lead as Errol wafted out a lazy leg and brought down their winger, and they scored the pen. Worse was to come as they beat our offside line and their young midfielder advanced and spooned a shot over the advancing Jeff in goal.

Fortunately we grabbed a goal back as Ant danced through and struck a low shot under their keeper to send us in at HT with a lifeline at 1-3 down.

The second half was much more even, but they never really threatened our goal, although sloppy attacking play and excellent Stonehouse defending negated most of our attacks.

Midway through the half we won a pen for handball from a poorly taken corner. Ant stepped up and scored to reduce the lead to just one. Could we do what we did down at Sharpness and get back to 3-3 from 3-0 down, the answer was no, as the defence switched off and allowed the Stoneouse striker to get on the end of a short through pass and he squeezed it past Jeff for 4-2.

A late Andy Dando goal gave us 2 mins to score an equaliser again, but the clock ran out and we trudged off to our third league defeat of the season, another we should have got something out of - thats the diff between div 4 and 3, last year we we sneaking the close matches, this year, we're not !

M.o.t.m was Sam Pope again. Rich had a decent game, as did Daniel and Ade in the centre of defence.