Parkgate Manager Billy Fox arrived at Sandy Lane for Saturday’s Toolstation NCEL Premier Division clash, with Jas Colliver’s promotion-chasing Handsworth Parramore, on crutches-to an affectionate welcome from home and visiting spectators alike, as he recovers from a badly torn Achilles-but it’s fair to say that Foxy felt the officiating needed a bit of support too after his side’s 3-0 defeat, writes Colin Muncie for the Parkgate Website.

Foxy explained that his game plan took a pre-match blow. He told us “We didn't get off to the best start when our regular keeper got delayed at work and ended up not making it to the match at all. With no recognised’ keeper on the bench we had to play the whole match with the centre half (Foxy’s assistant Richard Haigh) in between the sticks”.

Despite this, the Parkgate gaffer felt that his side had done well to contain the dangerous home side before the interval, but believed that the game might well have turned on a key decision thirty minutes in.“ Handsworth didn't create anything of note in the first half” he said, but added “and we should definitely have had a penalty after half an hour when Nathan Joynes was blatantly fouled. I asked the referee at half time to give me a single reason why it was not a penalty -and his response was that he had not had a good first half!”

Foxy admitted that Handsworth’s opener just after the hour forced his hand tactically. “The first goal was always going to be critical and so it proved when we allowed Froggatt room from a long throw” he told us “ After that we opened up to try and get an equaliser and with the contrasting styles of the two teams that was always going to be risky. This proved to be the case with players up the field and Handsworth clearing their lines”.

“I can't fault the players today and I am sure we will start picking up points in the not too distant future”.