Tulips narrowly beaten in hard fought contest

The Tulips started the game in the same fashion as they had the previous two and were under early sustained pressure from the visitors.

But after 20 minutes they had weathered the storm, which is an appropriate analogy given the awful weather, to gain a foothold in the game and started to play the football we all know this team is capable of.

There were mixed emotions and views amongst the Tulips faithful following the dismissal of the Manager Elliot Sandy in the week and the Caretaker Boss James Clifton had called for a reaction from his players.

He certainly got that and bar a lapse of concentration that allowed the visitors to score on the break in the second half, the Tulips were the better team.

The general consensus is that we need to strengthen in the middle of the park and upfront and we all hope that the new Manager will address this when appointed.

In the meantime a standout performance from Jonathan Ngandu earned him the MOTM award and a very impressive debut from the new recruit from Long Eaton Joseph Nyawemah bodes well for the rest of the season.

The Tulips huffed and puffed, played some good football, narrowly missed some chances and were denied by some last ditch tackling and resolute defending from the away side but restored some pride and will take confidence from their performance.

Next up is a trip to St Ives on Bank Holiday Monday who are very strong on their 3G pitch.

There are no easy games in this league as the Tulips have discovered but a strong performance yesterday has restored some faith in the Tulips support and we hope a corner is being turned.