HEREFORD manager Josh Gowling was left reflecting on his side conceding two “stupid goals” in their 2-1 defeat against Alfreton Town.

The Bulls needed a win at Edgar Street to boost their play-off hopes.

However, a mistake from goalkeeper Brandon Hall resulted in the visitors taking a 20th minute lead.

Moments before the break Yusifu Ceesay was given the space to fire Alfreton 2-0 ahead and despite Ryan Lloyd pulling a goal back the Bulls were beaten.

LIVE BLOG: Updates: Hereford FC v Alfreton Town in National League North

“They (Alfreton) haven’t touched the ball for 80 minutes," said Gowling talking to Keith Hall.

“They’ve had two shots and scored both. Other than that they’ve not laid a glove on us, it’s been all us.

“It’s probably the most one sided 2-1 you’ll see but when you give stupid goals away like that’s what happens.

“They slowed the game down, they time wasted and you end up getting frustrated.

“You just want officials to get a grip of it and speed things up.

“That’s not the reason we lost the game, we lost the game because we gave two poor goals away.

“It’s hard when you go a goal down as teams just drop off and put 10 men behind the ball to be inventive and break things down.

“In the last 10 minutes we started to get into the game.

“We got the ball down and played. We were a bit patient, obviously you get hit with a sucker punch just before half-time which we’ve got to defend better.

“I was very disappointed.”

Returning after missing the last game and midweek training due to a Covid-19 outbreak goalkeeper Hall was at fault for the opening goal.

“He knows he’s got to do better,” added Gowling.

“It is what it is. He looked in a bit of trouble as he (Hobson) shot to be honest.

I don’t know if he just got his body position wrong or what I don’t know.

“Those things happen. Brandon’s (Hall) been good for us this season so we’ll take that on the chin and go again.”

With Hereford looking for a way back into the game at Edgar Street, Ceesay increased the visitor's lead.

“It was just too easy,” added Gowling.

“You’d have probably taken a foul on him on the halfway line, he goes down the line but we don’t keep him there and he ends up scuffing a shot into the back of the net.

“There were a lot of things leading up to that we could have stopped so that’s disappointing."