Failure to take their chances was again a major contributory factor as the Hawks slipped to a 1-0 defeat against the students of Team Bath at Twerton Park.

Craig Watkins has ceased trading for a week suspended, Luke Nightingale and Jamie Slabber have virtually been declared bankrupt, and Paul Booth has only just been refloated on the striker stockmarket after injury.

It is a situation manager Shaun Gale admits needs remedying if his side are to get anywhere near achieving their ambition of promotion from Blue Square South this season.

His side did more than enough to deserve at least a point from the game but their toothless attack meant they returned home empty handed.

'We will play a lot worse than that and win,' said a disappointed Gale
'I thought we were well in control and I couldn't see us getting beat.

'They didn't look like scoring and our goalkeeper didn't have a save to make.

'We looked rock-solid all afternoon and they hardly created anything all game apart from the one set piece.

'It was disappointing to concede from a set-piece but their lad had a bit of good fortune when the ball came down off the crossbar straight to him and he knocked it in.

'At the moment we are lacking that cutting edge.

'I feel sorry for Luke Nightingale who did brilliantly towards the end to go around their goalkeeper only for a defender to throw himself at it and divert his effort behind for a corner.

'Also towards the end Jamie Slabber had a header cleared off the line and the ball just wouldn't drop for us.'

The visitors began the game displaying all the resilience that had seen unbeaten away from home with Ian Simpemba and Gary Elphick providing a solid presence in the heart of the defence.

The Hawks looked dangerous at set-pieces and both their early chances stemmed from corners, with Elphick volleying narrowly over the top and Jay Gasson thumping a header just wide.

The home side's best chance in the goalless first half came just after the half-hour with Mike Perrett screwing his shot on the turn from inside the area wide of the far post.

After weathering a brief period of sustained pressure at the start of the second half, it was the Hawks who took charge and Simpemba rose in a packed goalmouth to head a corner inches past the post with goalkeeper Jake Meredith well beaten.

At that stage the Hawks looked the most likely winners but on 68 minutes the students struck at a set-piece of their own to take the lead.

A deep corner was headed back against the crossbar and when the ball dropped, home skipper Gary Warren was on hand to knock the ball in from close range.

The Hawks battled back in search of an equaliser with Matt Gray's swerving free-kick tipped over the top before Nightingale had a gilt-edged chance to level minutes from time.

The striker was put clean through and though he rounded the keeper, a defender got back to make the all-important block.

Jamie Slabber also went on as a late substitute for Paul Booth and he also saw a header cleared off the line.

'I couldn't go in there and rant and rave at the players because I couldn't fault their effort,' said Gale.

'We are not going to be all doom and gloom and it is important that we bounce back from this defeat.'

For the home side, it was a sixth straight win at home and one that took them to the top of Blue Square South.