Monmouth Town 1-2 Newport YMCA

It may well be fun to stay at the YMCA but it is decidedly less so when they come to see you and walk away with all three points in a promotion clash.

Two YMCA goals as half-time approached; the first a sumptuous volley that gave Tom Pass no chance and the second – the other end of the quality scale as time stood still for everyone bar a visiting defender who took advantage of the penalty area lethargy to poke home and cancel out Andrew Smith's 26th minute penalty.

Town started confidently enough, coping well with the few YMCA attacks and launching a few of their own, which mostly came to nought but once or twice could have done with a few more bodies busting to get on the end of a teasing cross.

The returning Alderdice was taking the game to YMCA and the back provided a platform from which to attack.

The stability was undermined as Ross Kennedy was felled and hospitalised with a serious facial injury. The changes saw Spence enter the fray and although he and Guy did well, the change clearly affected the boys in yellow, as Ford on the left struggled to make an impact and brother Elliot only rarely set free.

When he did it is plain to see that he is such a threat and it was his tumble under a late challenge which led to Smith's coolly taken penalty.

The watching crowd – the largest for some time thanks to the Five Pound Football Club fan day clarion calls, and including new president Lisa Rogers – must have been feeling happy at this time as Town were in no real danger until the two-goal whammy just before half-time.

In the second half YMCA set up a bit deeper and allowed Town to have the ball, rarely breaking out to threaten themselves, but the Kingfishers seemed to pass up the invitation until the introduction of Laurie and Lewis gave a more menacing edge to proceedings.

Town unfortunately remained toothless. Lewis, Palmer and Ford all passed up decent opportunities by shooting straight at the 'keeper and at the death Lewis headed a glorious opportunity to level over the bar.

In one of football's many truisms a draw would have been a fair result as Town did enough not to lose but not enough to win as goals dry up and strikers short of experience, practice or both.

Manager Barry Burns was disappointed but refused to panic.

"The second goal was a killer and it was so poor to concede like that," he said.

"We lacked a bit of quality on the day and are a bit predictable at times.

"I can say it as often as I can but we simply must try harder to get in shape before the game and apply ourselves during it.

"Unfortunately, some players still think they can turn up and turn over good, well-organised opposition.

"I know we're runaway leaders and have been all season but we ain't won anything yet."

This Saturday (10th March), in an even bigger game, Town take on second-placed Tata Steel who have closed the gap from 15 points to seven in recent weeks.

The game kicks off at the Sports Ground at 2.30pm.