Neal Ardley admits a costly and unwanted trend is unfolding with his AFC Wimbledon side at Kingsmeadow.
Saturday’s 3-2 home defeat to Yeovil marked the third time this season Dons had emerged pointless from home games against sides in the relegation scrap.
Dagenham & Redbridge were bottom when they won by the odd goal in November, while Stevenage also took all three points from their visit before Christmas.
Ardley knows for a side with play-off ambitions, such losses are ones his team can ill afford.
“With the expectations we have got, if they are not realised we will look at these games and think that is where it went away from us,” he said.
“It is difficult sometimes when the opposition come and try and nullify what you have got, particularly teams down there struggling, and we haven’t found the answers.”
Ardley did see differences between this latest reversal and that to the Daggers in particular.
He felt Dons were dominant and unlucky in the loss to Dagenham, where here too many of his bigger players went missing as the likes of Paul Robinson, Jake Reeves and Lyle Taylor had days they’d rather forget.
“Against Dagenham we lost the game because of one really bad goalkeeping error, but we played well and their goalkeeper kept them in the game,” he said.
“Today we did not play particularly great and had a few under-perform, but we scored two good goals and that should be enough to win the game.”
Ardley gave a start to David Fitzpatrick ahead of the fit again George Francomb and the youngster quickly repaid his manager’s faith with his first senior goal just nine minutes in.
It was a sumptuous one at that as he latched onto a Taylor lay-off from Reeves’ cross to drive his shot beyond helpless Glovers’ keeper Artur Krysiak.
However, Jack Compton scored the first of his first ever hat-trick just two minutes later as Dons were undone in central defence.
Tom Elliott restored the lead with a fine strike only for the hosts to surrender it once more when James Shea allowed an over-hit Compton free-kick from 45 yards out to sail over his head four minutes from the break.
And defeat was confirmed on 64 minutes when Callum Kennedy needlessly pulled back Kevin Dawson allowing Compton to complete his treble from the spot.
"We gave away three really bad goals,” added Ardley.
“The first goal we work on every day of the week, talking about how we play narrow if teams get between the lines and then we have let someone run from outside to inside which is poor.
“The second goal James Shea should tell you he ought to be taking two steps back and catching that.
“And the third goal is a lazy penalty where as soon as I saw it happening I thought don’t do it, but he did and it has cost us the game.”
