'We gave ourselves a mountain to climb' - Lee Stevenson reacts to Selston's defeat at Louth

Selston boss Lee Stevenson was left frustrated by his side’s poor second half in their 1-0 defeat at Louth Town at the weekend.

The visitors conceded just after half-time and struggled to get into their stride in a failed bid to get back on level terms.

“We're disappointed with the result because we came here looking to build on the performance against Shirebrook, but we haven't done enough in the attacking areas to get anything from the game,” he said.

“The conditions made it difficult for both teams, and I thought we adapted reasonably well after the opening 15 minutes. We started to get the ball down and play some decent football, but we didn't create enough clear chances.

“The goal straight after half-time was a real disappointment. We switched off at a crucial moment and gave ourselves a mountain to climb. You can't afford to start a second half like that, particularly away from home.

“After that, we never really got going. We have to take responsibility for that, learn from it and make sure we're better next time.

With several absentees, including Colt Reynolds serving a one-match suspension after collecting five yellow cards, Lee Stevenson made two changes to the starting XI. Jake Payling replaced Josh Smith, while Tom Batterham came into the side for Reynolds.

Strong winds greeted both teams as Louth kicked off, using the conditions to their advantage and immediately putting Selston under pressure with a direct, long-ball approach.

Selston initially struggled to settle, but after around 15 minutes the Parishiners began to find their rhythm. and produce some neat football through the middle of the park.

Despite the improvement, neither side managed to create a clear-cut opportunity, and the teams went into the interval with the score goalless.

Unfortunately for Selston, the second half began in the worst possible fashion.

The visitors appeared not to have shaken off their half-time slumber when, almost straight from the restart, Louth attacked down the left. A neat cross found Broughton, whose volley from around eight yards looped over Tom Cox and into the net.

The early setback failed to spark the response Selston desperately needed. The remaining 40 minutes proved a frustrating watch, with the Parishiners struggling to find any attacking fluency or create meaningful opportunities to get back into the contest.

Louth remained organised and continued to make life difficult for the visitors, who were unable to find the quality required to break down the home defence.