Speaking after Whitley’s 2-0 defeat at Billingham Town, manager Nathan Haslam said that it had been a frustrating afternoon. “We’ve done enough to win it, we’ve hit the post and crossbar, the keeper’s had a good performance; we’ve dominated the game, but this has happened a few times this season. We’ve come away with nothing through individual mistakes at key points. I’ve said to the lads in the changing room you know that’s what the issue is.
“We’ve dominated the game and their secretary, manager and everybody else I’ve spoken to told me they can’t believe they’ve won the game!
“It was one of those days, unfortunately for us. We’ve gone through a spell early in the season when we weren’t clinical and we’ve just come out of a spell when we’ve been very clinical, and today was one of those frustrating days. On another day we’d have scored three or four but we didn’t and we can say it was mistakes that have cost us the game. Both were defensive errors; for the first goal Dan’s made a clear call to come for it and got nowhere near it; and the second one, again against the run of play came when we were pushing a bit (for an equaliser). Hutchinson’s a good player, knows how to make good movements and he’s done that, got one chance and he’s scored it. And that’s the difference.
“It just clearly wasn’t our day today. I’m happy with the way we controlled the game, the way we kept the ball and won the second balls. We probably had 70-75% possession but the game’s been decided in the two boxes.”
Late on Whitley had strong claim for a penalty when Craig McFarlane went down just inside the box but play was allowed to continue. “I thought it was a penalty, though at that stage it probably wouldn’t have affected the result, but it’s nice to know that we’re getting Macca and Proctor back to full fitness now. As you could see they give a bit of a different dimension, but it was a day when we just weren’t good enough in front of goal.”
