Daisy Hill’s search for a win continues after a disappointing 4-0 defeat at Garstang in the North West Counties League First Division North on Saturday.
After a bright start, Daisy fell two goals behind in the opening 15 minutes with John-Jo Morris and Joe Noblet on target for Garstang, and once the home side’s player-manager Zac Clark added a third just before half time, the game was pretty much over as a contest.
Although Daisy turned in a better second-half performance and created a number of chances, Noblet rounded off a bad afternoon for Daisy with a fourth goal in stoppage time.
Daisy’s joint-manager Matt Barnes was in no mood for excuses after the game.
“It was a really disappointing afternoon, because the way they (Garstang) scored their goals was the way we expected and had told the players about,” said Barnes.
“But the messages were not taken on board.
“We gave instructions to be compact, and not give an early goal away because we know Garstang are always strong in the first 15 minutes.
“They have scored 37 per cent of their goals this season in the first 15 minutes, so we wanted to stop that, and we gave the players ample messages to make sure they stopped that.
“But the goals we conceded were poor, and it’s even more frustrating when we highlighted their (Garstang’s) threats before the game.
“We knew if we let them play in certain areas they would score goals, and we also asked the players to limit set-pieces as much as possible, but we gave so many silly fouls away it was criminal.
“On top of that, we had some good chances and didn’t take them, and we seem to be saying that every week at the moment.
“We’re not scoring enough, and conceding too many.
“The group is good enough to get us out of trouble, but they have to take our messages on board, and unfortunately that is what they are not doing.”
Daisy began brightly enough and Lee Grimshaw came close with a shot early on, but two goals in the space of three minutes put Garstang in the driving seat.
They went ahead in the 12th minute from their first serious attack when a driven cross from the right wing was met with a thumping header from Morris, and three minutes later skipper Noblet curled a free-kick from the edge of the box into the corner of the net.
Daisy hit back and after Kieran Nolan hit the side-netting with a shot, Grimshaw steered a cross from Joe Rothwell just wide of the far post.
But Garstang always looked a threat and a Morris shot was cleared off the line before a Clark header from a left-wing cross put Garstang 3-0 up just before half time.
Daisy began the second half on the front foot, and straight away Grimshaw was unlucky with a shot that went just wide.
However, Daisy’s best effort arrived on 52 minutes, when Jack Coop’s angled drive across the face of goal beat Garstang keeper Will Kitchen and just grazed the far post.
The chances kept coming, with Connor Hughes having a shot pushed away by Kitchen, and minutes later Jake Parker had a shot deflected over.
But with Daisy pushing forward, they were always vulnerable to the counter-attack, and keeper Kier Barry made two fine stops from Clark and one from Morris as Garstang took advantage of gaps at the back when Daisy attacks broke down.
Deep into stoppage time Garstang added a fourth goal, when Noblet picked up a long ball, advanced into the box and beat Barry with a shot in the far corner to round off a good afternoon for the home side.
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