Downes gives blunt assessment of fatal first half at Alfreton

Aaron Downes admitted Hereford’s first-half performance “let them down” but insisted his side deserved something after a spirited second-half fightback in their 2-1 defeat at Alfreton Town.

The Bulls found themselves with a mountain to climb after a disastrous start, conceding inside 11 seconds before falling two goals behind before the break.

And while Downes was encouraged by the response after half-time, he was clear where the game was lost.

"Let's be honest, the first half was the let down for us tonight," he told the media after the match.

"The boys know in no uncertain terms that in order to win football matches, we have to do a little bit more than we did in the first half, both on and off the ball.

"That was the disappointing thing for me tonight.

"I do know we've come a long way and we've picked up a lot of points recently so I still think we're in a good place.

"But at the same time, when we're conceding two goals the way we did, we're giving ourselves a bit of a mountain to climb really."

Hereford improved significantly after the interval, dominating large spells and creating a host of chances as they pushed for a way back into the contest against an Alfreton side fighting for their lives at the foot of the table.

But George Munday pulled a goal back and the Bulls came close on several occasions, including a dramatic late clearance off the line that denied them an equaliser.

Downes felt that pressure and intent should have been rewarded.

“I think towards the end we probably deserved something with the amount of chances and pressure we put on,” he said.

The Aussie, now into his fifth week as Bulls boss, added: “We had one cleared off the line. We had one, two or three flash across the front.

"We've definitely done everything we could to try and get something back and get the game back and get at least a draw out of the game.

"But it wasn't to be. We left too much of a mountain to climb with that first 20 minutes, half an hour."

Despite the defeat, Downes pointed to the team’s recent form and overall progress, insisting they remain in a positive place heading into the next test in a relentless run of fixtures.

Hereford now travel to Macclesfield on Saturday before they complete their run of five fixtures in 12 days with Spennymoor Town at Edgar Street on Tuesday.

Thursday was another chance for the Bulls to leave the relegation zone behind, as a point would have been enough to overtake Oxford City, but they still have up to five games in hand on the sides above them.