Huntingdon Town boss Jimmy Brattan was unable to hide his disappointment following a first defeat of 2018 last Saturday.
He saw his side beaten by a controversial early goal as Lutterworth Town claimed three United Counties League Division One points at Jubilee Park.
Huntingdon skipper James Seymour sliced an attempted clearance into his own net when desperately attempting to keep out a goalbound effort from a visiting player who Brattan felt was clearly offside.
“It’s a very disappointing loss,” admitted Brattan. “Lutterworth have one style of play – and that’s going route one.
“We knew what to expect from them, yet we were undone by it only a few minutes into the game.
“Their player looked at least 10 yards offside from where I was stood, but unfortunately the assistant referee was not up with play.
“We created chances and went close to getting level. I felt we were the better side overall, but we came away with nothing and we need to make sure we bounce back.”
Striker Corey Kingston saw his hot streak halted by two smart saves after scoring seven times in his previous two Town appearances.
Arguably their best chances fell to Richard Baines, who twice headed over from good positions as Town endured a frustrating afternoon.
The loss left them 10th in the Division One standings, but they are only seven points behind third-placed Potton and fourth-placed Blackstones in a tight section.
And it is that latter team who provide their opposition at Jubilee Park this Saturday in what will be a fifth successive home outing for Brattan’s men.
The two teams fought out a six-goal thriller in the reverse fixture with Blackstones roaring into a three-goal lead before Town mounted a magnificent recover for a point.
Brattan added: “It’s important we have a better start than we did over at Blackstones. We did brilliantly to battle back in the second half of that game and we would have won it but for having another perfectly good goal ruled out.
“It’s an important game in terms of the league table and we’re also looking for a response after the loss against Lutterworth Town.”
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