Gloucester City manager Mike Cook has blamed colds and flu for his side's 3-2 loss at home to Hereford on Boxing Day.
Cook, who was also sent off for kicking the ball away to prevent Hereford from taking a quick throw late in the second half, also hit out at the visitor's "unbelievable" budget.
While the football budgets of the 24 National League North clubs aren't widely publicised, the Bulls' is unlikely to be the highest. It was slashed by 20 per cent, thought to be around £100,000, ahead for this season anyway as finances were tight at Edgar Street.
Speaking about the game, Cook, who was appointed in September after Tim Flowers was sacked, said he thought Gloucester were the better side for 80 minutes.
He said they deserved to be 2-1 up and could've been 3-0 up within the first 30 minutes.
"Obviously if you don't take those chances you're going to pay for that," Cook said in an interview posted on Gloucester City's YouTube channel.
"I think, overall, really pleased that we put a good performance in, obviously very disappointed we didn't get those precious points that we want, or a point.
"But [it] gives you a bit of heart going forward when you play that well because that's against a team that obviously their budget is unbelievable, it's a big club.
"Their aim is to get up and out of that league, our aim at the moment is to survive and make us competitive, to try and stay in the league.
"When you give them a game like we did today, yeah, quite proud of them, but it's just disappointing not to get a point really."
Cook said he couldn't be angry with his players' performance after the game and if they play like that every week, "they'll win more than they lose".
When the interviewer put to Cook that Hereford were determined and switched on at the end to come back from 2-1 down to ultimately win 3-2 thanks to an Andy Williams brace, Cook blamed illness.
Mike Cook
"I think the colds and the flus caught up with maybe two or three," he said.
He said he couldn't make the changes, they really wanted to keep skipper Joe Hanks on in midfield but he was struggling wit his foot.
Bringing on Joe Parker instead, Cook wanted to" go for a bit of legs in there as well" so his side could "lay a glove on them in that last 10 minutes".
He admitted that didn't work though.
He said:" 80 minutes before that, I just thought we were the better team and I thought we deserved to be 2-1 ahead, if I'm honest.
"We'll get our heads up and hopefully put that right next week."
Gloucester City travel to Edgar Street on New Year's Day for the reverse fixture.