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Chatham Town Women were on course for their first league win of the season last weekend - but had to settle for a point.
Their task on home soil this Sunday against Oxford United in the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division will be a whole lot harder.
Chats led 3-2 at Plymouth, fighting back from conceding in the opening minute after a triple change at the break, but the home side levelled late on.
Victory would have closed the gap between next-to-bottom Chatham - who occupy the second of the two relegation places - and their opponents who are five points better off.
“There were positives to come out of it but a tough one to take with the way it happened,” said manager Keith Boanas.
“I felt we had deserved the win with the way we had played in the second half. We were superb.
“Darcy Wells debuted (the striker having joined from Sutton United). She was isolated first half, we changed the system second half and with two up top that worked better.
“Mel Espinosa got two goals, in the right place at the right time. I was pleased for her and the impact that our 18-year-old-Chiedza Madamombe made.
“She was player-of-the-match for me. Her work ethic, her pressing, her bravery and her tenacity, it was an example to the senior players.”
Back from their festive break, Chats made the worst start possible.
“I was really disappointed with the first half and the way we conceded the first goal,” said Boanas.
“We knew where the threats were and they scored from a threat that we had identified. As a team we should have done better with it, but at least when you concede so early you have time to do something about it.”
Chats kept it tighter at the back but were unable to create many openings and changes were made at the interval with Espinosa, Breon Grant and Madamombe all introduced.
“We made the changes, altered the formation slightly and it had an immediate effect,” Boanas added.
“The players who went on all had an immediate impact and we got a goal to put us back on track, scored another good goal to go ahead, all of our goals were good goals, we just concede stupid ones.”
Espinosa netted within a minute of the restart and got another just after the hour and although Plymouth equalised, Grant’s 78th-minute effort put them 3-2 up. Victory wasn’t to be, however.
“It should have been enough to win it, we looked fine,” said Boanas, who made some changes again to shore them up. But from a free-kick they conceded a third.
From the set-piece, the ball eluded everyone and was fired at goal and blocked on the line, leading for calls of “goal” which led to the Chats players freezing momentarily.
“Our players reacted as if it was a goal but it wasn’t,” Boanas said. “It was like time stood still. One of their players reacted quicker, hit it in again and the ball went in. That was a sickener.”
Chatham will have new signing Otesha Charles available this Sunday. The 30-year-old Guyanese international forward has played for Gillingham and Millwall and was last with Billericay Town.
Defender Lenny Priest, their December player-of-the-month, is also back from suspension.
Boanas is expecting a much bigger challenge against Oxford, a side in form and following up an impressive 1-0 win at Ipswich Town last week.
The Chats boss said: “They have had a new manager come in over the last few months and obviously they are strengthening up a little bit.
“But I don’t fear anyone in that league - if players perform to the best of their ability and do the jobs that we are asking.
“Mistakes will happen, but there is never any excuse for a lack of effort and energy. That is what we lacked a little bit in the first half, people not understanding their own strengths and the levels that they are at.
“I said to them at half-time, if they are doing what I ask them to do and we concede and we lose then I will take full responsibility, but if you are not doing what we ask, you have to accept responsibility.”
