LEE Sinnott could not hide his frustration at the way Altrincham’s unbeaten Blue Square Bet North run ground to a halt at Histon on Tuesday night.

Just three days after extending it to eight games with a home win over Corby Town, Alty were found wanting against their lowly hosts and slumped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat.

Sinnott pulled no punches, soon after the final whistle, as he pinpointed where his side had gone wrong and urged them to put their promotion campaign back on track at Workington on Saturday.

"We were on the back foot early on, and it stayed that way," said the Alty boss. "It is important to get your engine running early, but too many didn’t, and we paid the price.

"The goals conceded were disappointing as well, especially considering our record for keeping those to a minimum in the last seven or eight games. We didn’t show enough dominance about getting to the ball for the first. There were a couple who could have made it theirs, and if you take a bang in the process, you take a bang. We didn’t, and their lad was free to score.

"I didn’t have a clear view of the penalty award for the second, but I wouldn’t dream of putting that forward as a reason for things not going right. We were off the pace, and that is putting it mildly.

"We said beforehand we were up against a young, vibrant side full of energy and would have to match those qualities. We didn’t, and I had a chat, in inverted commas, with the players at half-time and again at the end. Certain things will remain private, but as we move on and head to Workington, it will be registering with them, the way they performed, or rather didn’t, here tonight.

"I hope they hurt like I do. It is a long journey home for all concerned, and I feel sorry most of all for our supporters. It is a long trip in midweek, and I am just sorry we didn’t give them anything to shout about.

"It is important now to remember the lessons from this. They are a good bunch of players, and I could tell from their faces that they want to make amends. You can get setbacks at any time of the season. It is how you react that counts, and we must make sure we respond positively."

Simon Richman missed out with a dead leg but should be fit for Saturday.