Hucknall Town slipped to their very first competitive defeat at The RM Stadium on Saturday (11 February) as they were beaten 3-0 by Newark Town.

A brace from Lucus Cotterill either side of a goal from Lewis Chambers helped the visitors to clinch all three points in an eagerly anticipated clash between two top sides.

The defeat saw the hosts slip to fifth in the Uhlsport United Counties Division One table, the final play-off place.

In contrast, the win for Newark consolidated their third place as the table begins to take shape with around a third of the season remaining.

Speaking to the club's official website, after the defeat, Hucknall manager Andy Ingle said: "Saturday was one to forget. A very poor and disappointing display and one that is not acceptable by the standards we have set so far. We cannot make excuses, there are none! Our focus remains the same, to maintain our position in the play-off places. We will only do that by resetting ourselves and get back to the work ethic that got us where we are in the first place".

The Yellows will be looking to bounce back when they face relegation threatened Grantham Town at home tomorrow (Wednesday 15 February).

On this fixture, Ingle added: "We have to keep perspective on how far we have come as a group in a short space of time. Keep believing and trust the process; setbacks along the way are part of how we learn. We go again against Grantham tomorrow night and have an early opportunity to put last Saturday behind us".