Chatham Town Women came back down to earth with a bump on Sunday.

Keith Boanas’ side lost 1-0 against Actonians, just a week after their 5-1 opening-day win over AFC Sudbury.

The manager was frustrated to see his side turn in a disappointing display.

“It was probably our worst game since the start of pre-season,” Boanas said, ahead of a midweek cup game against Hashtag United.

“It’s disappointing in the fact that I stuck with the same starting XI on the back of the week before.

“We had warned them about thinking that it’s going to be that easy every week (winning 5-1).

“We worked very hard during the week in training on the things that actually ended up going wrong in the game. It’s almost like I wished we had worked on the opposite!

“After the game, we did our huddle and in a situation like that you don’t want to go and blow your top. Skipper Grace Coombes stepped up and owned up to her own mistakes in the game that she made but that game can’t define our season.

“It has come early and the cliche is that you have to hope it’s an early kick up the backside that we may or may not have needed, certainly one we didn’t want.

“We have to stay positive and you have to learn from it.”

Chats host higher-league opponents Hashtag United at home tonight (Wednesday) in the National League Cup (7.45pm).

Boanas knows his team will be in for a tough night against the cup holders.

He said: “It’s a real tough cup fixture but we had a decent game against them at the end of last season, a 1-0.

“There have been lots of personnel changes since and we will focus on at least putting on a good show.

“It’s one where the performance for me is probably going to be more important than the result.”

On Sunday, Chats host London Bees at the Bauvill Stadium (2.30pm).

It’s an early meeting between the two teams who were relegated last season.

Boanas said: “They have a new coach, new management staff, new players and they have had an up and down start. They lost a close one on Sunday.

“The manager was with London Seaward, Dan McKimm, I know him well. He will have them well organised.

“It will be another close encounter, which I envisage most games to be in this league.”