THE post-match inquest held by Ernie Howe and his management team went long into a cold Saturday night as Yeading condemned Basingstoke Town to a third consecutive heavy league defeat.
Howe's playing squad is currently stretched to the limit because of injuries and unavailability. Allied with ongoing recruitment frustrations, the Town boss is enduring a trying period in charge of a young side suffering a real dip in form and confidence.
And when individual mistakes on match-days - those that hand opponents an advantage from which there is no return - keep happening, the problems mount.
"We've been seeing and saying the same things for the past few weeks now," said Howe. "We've done well for 20-25 minutes, but mistakes are costing us badly. We cannot keep on doing it."
Playing with Scott Smith just in front of the back four to give the defence a bit more protection, Town should have gone ahead on seven minutes.
On-loan midfielder Ben Surey - who, along with Justyn McKay, was Town's best player - had a left-foot half-volley from 12 yards out superbly tipped over by goalkeeper Delroy Preddie's strong hand at his near post.
It stung promoted Yeading into a response and, on 22 minutes, they scored.
Following the pattern of the season, Town were caught out defensively by an attack at pace.
Getting in behind Wayne Heath and Jason Bristow to receive a pass, Manny Williams was able to knock the ball on and into the path of unmarked strike partner Errol Telemaque, who comfortably stroked the ball home from 12 yards out into the right side of Andrew Smallpiece's goal.
The young 'keeper was making his first-team debut after Howe was let down by Peterborough United's Luke McShane on Friday.
His inexperience was to blame for Yeading's second goal just three minutes later.
A direct, quick ball down the right channel was chased by Williams and Nathan Stamp into the box. After initially deciding not to come for it, Smallpiece made a belated charge out and Williams beat the Town duo to stab past them both into an empty net.
On the stroke of half-time came a miss that Howe felt was crucial.
"If we'd have scored we'd have been right back in it," he said.
Great play from James Taylor inside the box, collecting on the Yeading byline and then passing back to David Ray, saw the midfielder dissect the two central defenders with a ball to the unmarked Ben Wright.
The 17-year-old, starting as Swindon Town's Ashan Holgate was injured in midweek and couldn't join up with Howe's men as he did for the Thurrock game, was only six yards out and he rushed his shot, scuffing off his heel and wide. Again, inexperience was to blame.
Then, on 62 minutes, Ricci Dolan planted a free header from five yards out straight at Preddie following substitute Lewis Cook's corner.
Similarly, Surey's 73rd-minute drive was met by resistance from the Yeading man, who tipped over at a good height.
"That's why you cannot tell me we aren't creating attacking situations and chances," said Howe. "We could have been level.
"It's the mistakes at the back we need to stop. When they happen, heads drop and you can see the lads think `here we go again'."
Just five minutes after Surey's effort, Yeading sealed the match when, after another ball from left-back Emon Protain caught out Heath. Williams was able to latch on to it and lob over Smallpiece on the edge of the box.
On 85 minutes, the scoring was completed when Mark Paterson failed to get any distance on a defensive header, affording sub Gavin Tomlin and Telemaque a two-on-one attack against Scott Smith.
Tomlin rounded both Smith and Smallpiece with skill and, although forced wide, hit a shot from a tight angle that was going in, but Telemaque made sure.
A late Ray header hit the bar but, by then, a great deal of the Camrose faithful, very much subdued throughout the afternoon, had already made their way through the exit gates.
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