Chris Hilton was not “disheartened” as Stocksbridge Park Steels went down 5-0 to National North giants Spennymoor Town at Bracken Moor.
The Steels actually flew out of the traps brilliantly and probably should have taken the lead in the opening gambits against a team two league higher.
But a bizarre own goal (see tweet below) and four James Roberts goals eased the North East outfit to victory.
Moors took the lead courtesy of a bizarre own goal 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/zblDcdMhTr
— Spennymoor Town FC (@SpennymoorTown) July 20, 2019
“I thought we started really well in the first ten minutes and we could have got our noses in front, but it is pre-season and it is not about results,” Hilton told Non League Yorkshire.
“It is about the performance and I thought we were sloppy in the first half. Don’t get me wrong I thought Spennymoor were excellent.
“Their front three and the centre-midfielder were different class. They punished us for being sloppy and giving the ball away. We didn’t do the basics and didn’t work hard enough.
“We changed shape and worked a lot of harder in the second half. That’s what these games are for – Sheffield Wednesday and Spennymoor. It is about giving us tests against very good opposition.
“I’m not too disheartened because there were a lot of good performances out there. We looked a different formations in the first and second halves. There were also a lot of trialists who played and it was a chance to look at them.”
Luke Mangham should given Stocksbridge inside three minutes. He pounced on a badly-timed back-pass and went round Spennymoor goalkeeper Gould. The angle was tight, but his shot was rushed and the visitors were able to clear.
New signing Josh Nodder then rattled the crossbar with a superb volley.
It looked like the Steels were going to give their visitors a game. That was until a trialist’s harmless back-pass was completely missed by Steels goalkeeper Tom Crosby and rolled into the net.
Stocksbridge never recovered. Roberts, a constant menace, constantly caused carnage got three before half-time. A tap-in six minutes into the second half was his fourth.
The Team
Stocksbridge Park Steels: Crosby, Trialist, Middleton, Trialist, McFadyen, Fielding, Turner, Goodwin, Ruthven, Mangham, Nodder. Subs: Slater, Whitham, Trialist, Trialist.