Individual errors cost us - Heath

A stunned Billy Heath pointed to Josh Macdonald's early second half shot as the 'key moment' as his FC Halifax Town side threw away a one-goal lead to lose 3-1 at home to Brackley Town.
Football - FC Halifax Town v BrackleyFootball - FC Halifax Town v Brackley
Football - FC Halifax Town v Brackley

The Shaymen led thanks to Jordan Sinnott’s fabulous first half strike before three unanswered Brackley goals in the space of 13 second half minutes enabled the visitors to continue their unbeaten away record.

But Heath was left mesmerized as to how Macdonald’s early second half attempt – which cannoned off the inside of the post and goalkeeper Laurie Walker scrambling on the loose ball after it struck him on the head – did not double Town’s advantage.

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He mused: “It is a very, very difficult game to assess to be honest because I do not think they deserved to win 3-1 at all.

“I think at times their goalkeeper kept them in it. He has had to make two or three really good saves in the first half.

“I think the key moment in the game was when Josh Macdonald had a shot in the second half – that was the turning point because they went down the other end, got a corner and it ends up 1-1.

“It is disappointing because the game pivoted on one moment which was Josh’s shot. It hit the inside of the post, hit the keeper on the head but did not go in.

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“It seemed to just die. I was stunned. I still don’t understand how it didn’t go in. We then conceded an awful goal. But you get days like that. It is just disappointing.”

Town were jolted by Lee Ndlovu’s equaliser but they did not have time to react as they soon found themselves behind, leaving Heath to bemoan his side’s defending after an impressive first half display.

He said: “All three goals were avoidable as they were all mistakes which is what we haven’t been doing of late.

“They haven’t had to work for their goals. They were all individual mistakes and we have been punished.

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“I think we played some really good stuff in the first half and we should have been two or three more goals to the good. We limited them to very little but I think that when you don’t get the second goal it can always lead to problems. We then made three errors and it has led to three goals.

“I said at half time that the second goal was always going to be important. I said if we get the second goal it should be enough. It was a massively important goal and we have gifted them it.

“It suddenly tipped the game a little bit and I think there were a few individuals still thinking about that goal. Once it’s done, it’s done and you play again.

“There was probably four or five of us still trying to recover from the manner of the goal and then we concede the second. As I say, it’s disappointing because the goals we conceded were errors and we haven’t been doing that for weeks.”

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The 3-1 defeat brought Halifax’s seven-game winning run to an abrupt end but Heath is eager for his side to start another positive sequence as soon as possible.

He said: “We’ve been on a great run and it’s disappointing not to get three points today as we still need to be climbing up the table.

“People will make mistakes. But we will dust ourselves down and start again. We will go into the FA Cup game (at Dagenham on Saturday) looking to get back to winning ways.”