HILLINGDON Borough manager Sam Hurrell admitted that his side had failed to adapt to the conditions in their 2-1 defeat to Haringey Borough on Tuesday night.
Boro went behind to a contentious penalty before conceding another early in the second-half. Gary Senior pulled a goal back and after the home side had a men sent off, Hillingdon increased the pressure but were unable to come up with an equaliser.
Hurrell said: “Although the pitch made it difficult to play the football we want to play, we made life much too hard for ourselves, especially in the first half.”
Asked about the opening penalty, Hurrell said: “I didn't see it but the boys have said that it hit him in the face. He's got a mud mark there so how the referee has given it I don't know.”
But however curious the decision might have been, it came as a result of some slack defending by the Hillingdon defence.
Haringey's Dewayne Clarke stole the ball after loose passing and his shot was deemed to have been blocked by Tom Kirk's hand. Home captain Darrell Cox fired the ball home despite Mark Smith getting a touch to the ball.
Haringey added another soon after the break. A long ball forward wasn't cleared by Robert Laney and Anthony McDonald was able to beat Smith at his near post.
Hilllingdon hit back seven minutes later. A determined run and cross by Kyle Matthews found Senior who flicked the ball in.
Hillingdon were offered a chance to get back in the match after Haringey's Clarke picked up two yellow cards in the space of three minutes. But despite the man advantage, it wasn't enough to stop Hillingdon from falling to a second consecutive defeat.
Elsewhere, Northwood ran out 3-1 winners at North Greenford last night.
Oliver Hawkins, Niko Muir and substitute Romaine Walker got the goals while player-boss Mark Burgess saw red for two bookable offences.
