Belper defeat 'hard to take' for boss Jake as Doughboys suffer setback in Derbyshire
Jake Stone admitted Wellingborough Town's 1-0 defeat at title-chasing Belper Town on Saturday was 'hard to take'.
The Doughboys made the trip to Derbyshire in good heart off the back of an excellent 4-2 win over Mickleover, but they had the wind knocked out of their sails as Belper took a fifth-minute lead through a cracking Jacob Gratton strike.
Borough reacted well to the early setback and then went on to dominate possession in an entertaining second half, but they could not muster an equaliser as they slid to a fifth Pitching-In Northern Premier League Midlands Division loss of the season.
"It was a loss that was hard to take, especially with how the game went," said Borough boss Stone.
"We gave away another early goal, which is poor on our side, but I felt first half could have ended evens with the amount if chances we both had.
"Then we had all of the ball in the second half and should have scored and created more.
"Belper are a top side and going to be right in the mix for the title, but I still feel we still should have come away with at least a draw.
"We are showing positive things in our performances, but our results have got to be more consistent if we want to try and get in the mix in the top half."
The defeat leaves Wellingborough in 10th place in the Midlands Division table but, ahead of Tuesday night's fixtures, they were only a single point behind fifth-placed Lichfield City, who are the visitors to the Dog & Duck on Saturday (ko 3pm).
Following on from the weekend clash, the Doughboys are also at home next Tuesday when they have a derby date against Corby Town (ko 7.45pm).