FC Halifax Town 2-3 Maidenhead United: "You can't defend like that and win any football match" says Wild

The Shaymen twice battled back after conceding sloppy goals, but then could find no way back from substitute Josh Coley's late winner.

"I thought we started tentatively, nervously, didn't really get our foot on the gas," Wild said.

"You could see there were new partnerships today and it was needs must, I have to give Jamie (Allen) a break otherwise he might break down again, which would be the worst-case scenario.

"Martin Woods wasn't fit to start so I had to dig deep into my squad and go with what I've got, so that's not ideal, but it's chances for other players to come in and stake a claim.

"The partnerships didn't really gel quickly, as they won't do because they're new partnerships.

"There's two mistakes that lead to the first goal, which is disappointing, and frustrating, but from players who've been generally excellent for me this season, so I can't be too harsh on them.

"I think the goal kicked us into life and we started to play a lot better, got the equaliser and we were on the front-foot.

"Then another mix-up and we get done on a set-piece, which is so frustrating because the first two goals are so avoidable it's ridiculous.

"I've just said to the players, the heights of how much praise they got at Bromley and Wrexham, and rightly so, for how well they defended, you can't defend like that and win any football match, and we came crashing back down to earth today with how we defended."

Wild felt his side made it too easy for Maidenhead to score their winner.

"We've come back from behind twice, which we may have struggled to do last season, so that shows good character," said the Town boss.

"You're thinking 'let's at least get a point out of it' and then you get done late on, again we were too nice, we stood off them, and we were too nice to play against today, and that showed with the cross for their winning goal.

"I look at the three goals and think they were all avoidable.

"Sam's had nowt to do apart from the three avoidable goals, but that's football, and football has a great way of smashing you back down to earth, and it's certainly done that today."

Wild admitted the mistakes for Maidenhead's goals were out of character for his side.

"Very uncharacteristic, so I'm hoping it's just an off day, and we'll be back in on Monday morning ready to make sure we put them right for Tuesday night against a team that's flying."

Town face up to three months without influential midfielder Luke Summerfield.

"He was complaining at half-time against Wrexham but he's managed to carry on, which shows the measure of the man, and fair credit to him," said Wild.

"The physio wasn't happy with how he presented on Thursday morning so he sent him for a scan and it confirmed our worst fears that it's a partial tear of the ACL, but fair play to the physio because if he'd trained, or played, it could have been nine or 12 months out, so the physio's done him and the club a big favour."

Wild says he has "a couple of options" in terms of replacing Summerfield.

"We don't dwell on that, I've got players who are more than capable of playing that position who can offer as much as Luke can," he said.

"But we're now light in that area and I'll need to replenish that area this week, and I'm hoping to do that at some point this week to just give us that bounce to go again.

"It's frustrating but it's just part of football and because of the nature of this season, Saturday-Tuesday, and the condensed fixture list, players not playing from March to October, this is the result and what you're seeing in every league is players picking up injuries they wouldn't normally get."

Summerfield's injury is the latest in a lengthy list of injuries suffered by Town this season.

"It is bad luck, and it's not helped, but they're injuries we can't avoid," Wild said.

"People might look at it and go 'what are they doing to pick up these injuries' but they're all football playing injuries that will only happen in the heat of battle.

"That's what frustrates me, that's there's not really anything I can point my finger at to say 'if we do that better, we might not pick up these injuries'."

But Wild felt his side didn't necessarily miss Summerfield too much against Maidenhead.

"After the first 25 minutes when we were tentative I thought we were good with the football, especially when Woodsy came on, he threaded the ball through excellently," he said.

"I thought Kieran Green was excellent with the ball.

"Don't get me wrong, Luke would add anything to any team but I don't think our problem was missing Luke Summerfield, it was making horrific mistakes for goals, that's why we've lost the match."

Wild left forward Jamie Allen on the bench, bring him on fairly early in the second-half.

"He's come back from injury and played two tough 90 minutes, so the thought between the physio and myself was that he needed a break," Wild said.

"I probably forced Hyde and Allen back too quickly last time, threw them back into the mix and they broke down, and I'm determined not to do that again."

On front-two Lewis Mansell and Tahvon Campbell, Wild said: "I think Lewis has been steady away, he's fitted in, he holds the ball up well, he links play well, and he's done well.

"Tav's somebody who we can link off and excites us, all he needs is that first goal to get him going. Once he gets that I'm sure he'll be a massive part of what we're trying to do."

Wild is hoping Jake Hyde will be in contention for the Hartlepool game on Tuesday, and that defender Nathan Clarke could be near a return by the end of February.

On midfielder Reuben Noble-Lazarus, Wild said: "He's nearly back where we want him, we're hoping he gets a full week and then comes into contention.

"I thought watching him in training on Friday that he could bring us something completely different that I've been waiting to see.

"He had a knock pre-season, we got him back, but we felt that he just wasn't getting back up to where he needed to be football fitness wise, but I think we're nearly there now, which is pleasing."