It was an uncharacteristically poor performance from the Eagles away at Hallam on the weekend which saw Eccleshill United defeated 3-1 and Dom Smith reflected on the game after the final whistle.

He said: "It definitely was very disappointing. It is difficult to pinpoint something particular that went wrong. For me personally, I felt I was well prepared and felt positive going into the game and that we would get a result and everyone in the changing room seemed to be in the same frame of mind too. I suppose it's the way football goes.. sometimes for you sometimes against."

Hallam was a physical side that certainly played to those strengths, and Smith spoke about whether the Eagles struggled to cope with that during the game.

He stated: "Yes they are a physical side, but so are we and we have the ability to match them and at times we did. We're not always going to win the first ball and where we fell short was the second ball. They played a 433 very narrow and clearly that is something they have worked on and they were gambling on the second ball. We were often too slow or were not anticipating well enough for where the ball would drop, that is what we didn't deal with well."

The Eagles trailed by two at halftime with the third goal coming immediately after the second half restarted, something which played a real impact on the game.

"After halftime at 2-0, as the cliche goes.. the next goal changes it, and they got it. It was very sloppy and uncharacteristic from us to be beaten by such a simple phase of play. And it certainly knocks you back. However we responded well and from that point seemed to enjoy better spells in the game, albeit not developing into the comeback we were hoping for," Smith reflected.

With second place now out of Eccleshill's hands, relying on other sides to pick up results, Smith reflected on how the squad must dust themselves off and look to finish the season strong no matter what happens.

He said: "We want to win every game and that is what we shall set out to do. What will be will be, and we just need to leave everything out on the pitch these next two games, enjoy those games as we have been for the vast majority of the season, keep that unity and comradery and make sure we get the six points, no matter how it comes. In our squad, we have an abundance of talent and character, so I am 100% sure we can bounce back."