‘We got to stop gifting teams goals’ – deja vu for Moneyfields boss Turnbull after Wessex League loss in the New Forest

Steve Hutchings, right, netted twice in Moneyfields' Wessex League loss at Bashley. Picture: Allan Hutchings

A few weeks after seeing his side crash out of the FA Vase 3-2 at Littlehampton, Moneys suffered the same margin of defeat in a Wessex Premier game at Bashley.

In both games Moneys trailed 2-0 at half-time and Turnbull fumed: ‘We can’t keep on gifting sides 2-0 leads.

‘It’s not as if we’re gifting poor sides goals - Littlehampton and Bashley are good teams.

‘We were lucky to be only 2-0 down at half-time. Bashley were direct, they flooded their midfield and our midfield couldn’t cope.

‘I did think it was naivety, a Wessex 1 mentality, but I don’t think it’s that now. But I know we can’t keep on giving ourselves mountains to climb.

‘We said at half-time that we would learn a lot about the group in the next 45 minutes. The response was good.

‘At half-time it was all about the tactics. We said ‘this is what you’re going to do, put your hand up if you don’t like it and we’ll take you off’.’

New signing Joe Briggs, brought back to the club the day before after a spell at AFC Portchester, was introduced off the bench early in the second half, and Josh Bailey came on up front for Dec Seiden.

The changes had a beneficial effect with Briggs setting up Steve Hutchings to pull one back. But after Briggs had missed a good chance to level, Callum Glen’s foul led to Bashley restoring their two-goal lead from the penalty spot.

Hutchings set up a tense finale with his 13th league and cup goal of the season, but Moneys suffered a fifth league loss in 13 games.

‘If Briggo had been match fit, I’m sure he’d have scored and at 2-2 we’d have been in the ascendency,’ said Turnbull.

Keeper Tom Price needed lengthy treatment late on after defender Harry Birmingham was pushed into him by a Bashley attacker.

‘I thought we’d play about 10 minutes of added time,’ Turnbull remarked, ‘but we only played about three. We still had chances in those three, but only half chances.’

On the back of the Bashley defeat, Moneyfields will now probably field a strong XI in Wednesday’s Russell Cotes Cup tie at lower division Whitchurch ahead of next Saturday’s home league clash with AFC Portchester.

‘Portchester is a big game for a number of reasons,’ stated Turnbull. ‘But if we play as I know we can, and cut out gifting goals, we’ll give ourselves a chance.’