Blyth Spartans manager Alun Armstrong was understandably disappointed that his side didn’t pick up three points against Stafford Rangers at Croft Park on Saturday.
Having been two goals up, the Spartans had to settle for a single point from a 2-2draw.
“We should have won,” he said. “We had a mad 20 minutes that let them in to the game. Other than that, we got to grips with them well.
“To be honest, the lads should have dealt with them better in that poor period but, what I loved was that they didn’t pack in. They dug in and kept going.
“I’m gutted for them, but we’ll just have to move on.
“Overall I thought we were a bit slow to get going in the first half, but we changed a few things at half time and were much better. But, although I was chuffed with our goals, we should have had the game won at 2-0.
“We always seem to get a bit nervous at 2-0. We’re a young side that is a bit naive at times and we’re unable to kill a game off, but I love the way they want to learn, to get better and do well.
“It’s a learning curve for some of our lads.
“We were up against good opposition in Stafford. They came with a game plan and stuck with it.
“Every one of their players knew their roles and responsibilities. They are definitely a decent side who will be in the top half of the league at the end of the season.”