Selston punished by Pinxton in heavy derby day defeat
Selston were well beaten in their derby at the weekend
Boss Lee Stevenson is challenging his Selston players to learn from their derby day drubbing against Pinxton at the weekend.
Selston's first big local derby of the season ended in a disappointing 4–0 defeat at Pinxton as a performance littered with costly errors was punished by a home side who took their opportunities clinically.
"We have to be honest about that performance because it simply wasn't good enough. Last week we showed exactly what this group is capable of – energy, organisation, quality on the ball and a real desire to work for each other. Today, too many players fell well short of those standards,” he said.
"You cannot come into a local derby, make the basic mistakes we made and expect to get away with it. We gave away poor goals, lost important individual battles and, at times, made it far too easy for Pinxton. They took their chances and deserved their win, but we contributed significantly to our own downfall.
"What disappoints me most is the manner of the goals. These weren't moments of outstanding quality that we couldn't do anything about; they were avoidable errors in key areas of the pitch. At this level, and particularly in a derby, you get punished for that.
"Last week's result counts for nothing if we cannot follow it up with the same attitude and application. We cannot keep producing one good performance and then take a step backwards. The players need to look at themselves, take responsibility and understand the standards expected when they pull on this shirt.
"We don't hide from a result like this. We have to learn from it, work hard this week and make sure we show a completely different response in our next game."
Selston made the brighter start and created the first opportunity with Logan Green heading wide.
The hosts hit the front on 39 minutes a long ball caused confusion between two Selston players, who collided and left the ball available for Jay Cooper to fire home.
Things went from bad to worse for the visitors just before half-time when Bailey Hamilton doubled Pinxton’s lead from the spot after Josh Smith caught Jason Ward.
Pinxton made it three before the hour when poor defending gave Hamilton the time and space to bag his second.
It was game over on 64 minutes when Jack Hodginson took advantage of a misunderstanding between keeper and defender to tap home into an empty net.