IT WAS heartbreaking to lose like that after such a fine performance. I told the lads afterwards that if we play with the same effort and commitment for the remainder of the season we will win more than we lose.

Five minutes before they scored the winner, their keeper made a world class save from Andy Gunn’s header. The fact the keeper was their Man of the Match says it all.

We came to a side which has won all six of its previous home games and gave as good as we got.

I just couldn’t see them breaking us down. We look solid and are playing much better. We are definitely more comfortable to watch at the moment.

We have been excellent in the last few league games. We limited them to next to nothing and we now look as if we have goals up top.

Four of our next five games are against teams around us in the league and it could be the defining period of our season.

Obviously the refereeing on Saturday was a major issue. He booked five of ours and two of theirs and yet it was not a dirty game.

It is the lack of consistency that upsets managers. Their centre forward was booked to give us our penalty but after that he made three more lunges with studs up at our players.

He kept getting a last warning from the ref, who said the player did not make contact; if there was not contact, there was certainly intent. I think he should have been off the field.

Then the player who substituted for him in the second half scored the winner.

Nathan had to come off early with a bang on the hip but hopefully he will be okay for Banbury on Saturday. Also, it was good for Mitch to get some game time after his injury.

Seventeen-year-old left back Bradley Martin from Slimbridge was on the bench for us. We are having a look at hm because of the injury to Richard Mansell and because Jack Harris is due to go back to Gloucester City on December 2.