Daisy Hill fell to their second successive home league defeat in the North West Counties League First Division North when they went down 3-2 to Steeton in a lively encounter on Monday night.

A goal down at the break to a Josh Debenham opener, Daisy fell further behind when Jacob Smith converted a penalty four minutes into the second half.

Ryan Talbot then pulled a goal back for Daisy, but the West Yorkshiremen restored their two goal lead through Jack Lynn just after the hour.

Talbot struck again to reduce the arrears three minutes later, and the Daisy striker was involved in the game’s major talking point four minutes from time when he prodded home a loose ball from close range, but the goal was ruled as offside by the assistant referee.

Despite the close call, Daisy manager Lee Hill felt afterwards his side had not done enough to win.

“Steeton had a bad result on Saturday, so maybe we were playing them at a bad time, but I don’t think we gave a good account of ourselves at all,” said Hill. “We had a game plan and set up the right way, and we knew they would either fold or fight. As it turned out, they fought and we didn’t match it.

“North West Counties League football is an unforgiving place. Pretty much anyone can beat anyone in this league, and if you are not on it 100 per cent, you’ve got a problem. We gave away a sloppy first goal, had two chances to clear away headers, and didn’t do it.

“In the team talk at half time, we tried to regroup, and everything we spoke about went out the window when we gave away another goal straight away.

“We then got ourselves back into the game with a good goal, but after that there were just moments of poor play from us in both boxes that cost us. We have good players and good strikers, but we didn’t create the right sort of chances for them. The supply from the full-backs and wide men wasn’t quite where it should be, and we will have to look at that.

“The Steeton keeper is a good keeper, he made some good saves, and I don’t know about the goal that was ruled out for offside, I’d need to see it again.

“But, overall, I felt Steeton deserved the win, although when you are gifting goals like we did, that will give any opponents confidence.”

Daisy began well and created the game’s first chance on six minutes, when Ben Unsworth side-footed wide from Jake O’Brien’s corner.

A few minutes later, a neat move involving Scott Johnston and Charlie Roberts set up a shooting chance for Talbot, but the striker’s shot cleared the bar.

The visitors took the lead on 34 minutes, when the Daisy defence failed to deal with a ball into the box, and a glancing header from Owen Williams fell neatly into the path of Debenham for a chance he slotted coolly home from 12 yards.

The Yorkshire side doubled their lead three minutes into the second half from the penalty spot, when the assistant referee flagged after spotting a foul by Daisy keeper Morgan Newns on visiting striker Jacob Smith, and he dusted himself down before blasting the resulting spot-kick high into the net.

But within six minutes Daisy got a foothold back in the game when Kyle Whittaker picked up the ball 30 yards out, cut inside and fired in a shot that was helped on its way into the net by Talbot, with the striker being credited with the goal.

However, just after the hour mark Steeton restored their two-goal lead when Maccauley Smith curled a cross to the far post which was headed home by the unmarked Lynn.

The Daisy response was immediate and Talbot notched his second of the night when Steeton keeper James Catlow could only beat out a fierce shot from Kaiden Barlow, and Talbot reacted quickly to head home from close range.

Daisy pushed forward in search of an equaliser, with a shot from Declan Baldwin going over, and a Ryan Lockett shot that was pushed round the post by Catlow the pick of the chances, before the game’s big talking point arrived with just four minutes remaining.

A free-kick was floated into the Steeton box and a deft header found Talbot who tapped home from three yards, but the striker was denied the equaliser, and his hat-trick, by the flag of the assistant referee, who ruled he had strayed offside.

Daisy are back in action in the league on Saturday when they travel to face Maghull.