Brackley Town lost 3-2 away to Hednesford Town on Saturday after a promising start unravelled before half-time. Finn Roberts gave the visitors a fifth-minute lead, but three goals in the next half hour from the hosts secured the points.
Roberts scored with a header from a corner to put Brackley ahead early. Danny Whitehall equalised for Hednesford Town just three minutes later. George Ward then put the Pitmen in front after 19 minutes and added a second from a set piece in the 37th minute.
Harrison Rhone saved a Whitehall penalty for Brackley midway through the first half, but the visitors still trailed 3-1 at the break. Kelvin Davis, the Hednesford Town manager, had picked an unchanged side from their previous win.
Late fightback falls short
Brackley made two changes at half-time but struggled to control the game after the interval. Kieran Coates gave his side a lifeline with seven minutes remaining, lifting the ball over goalkeeper Will Murdock to make it 3-2. The visitors could not find an equaliser in the closing stages.
The defeat leaves Brackley Town 16th in the National League North with 15 points from 11 matches, having recorded four wins and three draws from their 11 games this season. They have scored 13 goals but conceded 20, leaving them with a goal difference of minus seven. This result is part of a recent run of two wins, one draw and two losses from their last five games, a sequence that includes a 2-1 win over Spennymoor Town on Saturday 10 October and a 0-2 home loss to Chelmsford City on Saturday 3 October. They now sit nine points behind league leaders Macclesfield.
Brackley's next fixture is at home against Radcliffe on Saturday 24 October. Radcliffe currently sit 21st in the table. The team will hope to improve their form, which has seen them lose their last two matches following the victory over Spennymoor Town.
Brackley Town manager Gareth Dean fumed at his side's first-half display in the 3-2 defeat at Hednesford Town on October 17. "It feels like a wasted opportunity," Dean told the club. "Our game management for 15-to-20 minutes was just absolutely appalling." Dean said the goals conceded were unforgivable but praised a brave second-half response. The loss leaves Brackley 18th in the National League North with 15 points from 12 games, having now conceded 23 goals this season.
