Daisy Hill’s hopes of recording a third successive pre-season win were ended by a 2-0 defeat to Atherton Collieries at the Plumb Factory Stadium on Tuesday night.

Two goals in the opening 26 minutes were ultimately decisive in securing victory for Colls, but Daisy more than played their part in an entertaining game, and afterwards manager Lee Hill was happy with his side’s performance.

“I thought it was a good work out and a good test for the lads, and I said to them in the dressing room I was pleased with the performance,” said Hill.

“I thought we did well against a side who are two leagues above and who have got some real quality in their team, and I thought the lads competed well and matched them for long spells.

“Two individual errors led to the goals, two turnovers in key areas, and those are just the little moments where we have to do better, and the lads know that.

“If you make those mistakes in our league you might get away with it, but you’ll get punished when you play against a team from the Northern Premier League who have individual quality.

“Some of our lads aspire to play at higher levels and at times tonight they showed they had that quality, but we also saw that there were moments where they have got to be better, if that is the standard they want to get to.

“We are still missing Ryan Talbot so we are lacking a bit up front, but what is really promising is our build up play,

“I thought we kept the ball well, and mounted some good attacks and were brave on the ball in many positions. I just felt that in the final third maybe we didn’t quite have the striker’s instinct to get a shot away, but that will come.”

Colls began the game well, and opened the scoring after just four minutes, when Liam Sheppard collected a terrific through ball, and fired a low shot into the bottom corner.

Daisy’s first effort of note arrived on 18 minutes, when Kyle Whittaker stole in at the back post to get on the end of a left wing cross, but steered his shot wide.

A minute later Colls goalscorer Sheppard almost doubled his tally with a header that just cleared the bar, but the visitors’ second goal did arrive on 26 minutes when their trialist midfielder picked up a pass on the edge of the box, and struck a sweet shot across the face of goal into the far corner of the net.

A great save by Daisy keeper, Morgan Newns, denied Colls a third goal eight minutes from the break, when he dived full length to push a shot from another trialist round the post.

After the break, the game continued to flow from end to end, although clear-cut chances were few and far between.

Three minutes after the restart, Daisy came close when Ben Unsworth rose at the far post to get on the end of a Kris Prifti free-kick, but Colls keeper Jack Buckley pushed his header round the post.

At the midway point of the half, Daisy had a shout for a penalty when Ryan Lockett went down after a challenge in the box, but the referee waved away claims.

And although Daisy enjoyed the better of the possession in the closing stages, Colls held out to claim the win.

Daisy now enter a busy period of three games in five days, all in the group stages of the Atherton Charity Cup, starting with a home game against Pennington tonight (7.45pm), and then a trip to Ashton Athletic on Saturday, before rounding off with a home game against Atherton LR on Monday evening.

Hill says he is intending to rotate his squad in all three games, but is happy with the way the pre-season preparations have gone so far.

“Obviously we have to manage the situation of playing three games in a short period of time, but we have a squad that’s capable of handing it,” said the Daisy boss.

“If we take a couple of lads out and bring a couple in, it doesn’t really disrupt the flow of what we are trying to do, but minutes for everyone will be managed over the three games.

“We are pretty much there with the squad we are going to start the season with.

“We have been playing well in the games so far, and if we play against a side from our league week in week out the way we have been playing, I think we will cause them problems.

“So I am happy with where we are, and we’re looking forward to all three games to finish off the pre-season programme.”