BURNHAM manager Paul Shone admits his team deserved to lose after failing to take their chances in a 3-2 defeat against Windsor in the Hellenic League Floodlit Cup on Tuesday night, writes Rob Stevens.

The Blues took the lead inside four minutes at Stag Meadow with a goal from Sam Coles and, after some poor defending gifted Windsor and Bryan Taylor an equaliser, Ollie Harris missed an open goal to restore their advantage before the break.

A ‘mad’ opening 10 minutes to the second half saw the hosts strike twice through Billy Montague and Juwon Akintunde.

Burnham rallied and pulled one back via Cameron Rohart-Brown before missing the chance to level the scores when substitute Eremide Joseph Lawal was denied by Nojus Trinovas when one-on-one with the keeper late on (click here for the live match report).

Shone told the Observer: “We fully deserved to lose. It was an even first half. We took the lead but didn’t play as well as we have done in the last two games and conditions were all over the place.

“Windsor levelled and rightly so and in the second half a mad seven or eight minutes from us gifted them two goals to extend the score to 3-1.

“Coming away from home and conceding three goals, which means you need to score four to win, is a tough uphill task.

“It was disappointing from us defensively but credit to Windsor because they played on the front foot.

“We upped it for the last 20 minutes and were the better side in the last quarter of the game and maybe could have equalised. Maybe if we had, we would have gone on to win it, but credit to them because they rightly deserved the victory on the night.

“We created chances and we always do that. At the start of the season we weren’t taking them. We could have extended the lead and goals do change games. Had we gone into half-time in front it could have been a different story, but it wasn’t to be.

“Windsor rode their luck and equalised and after a minute and 40 seconds of the second half they take the lead. They will look at it and say it was a good goal for them, but it was poor defensively from us and the third goal wasn’t acceptable defending for us.

“There was enough time in the game to get back into it but to come away from home and score four to win is always going to be tough.

“We will never have heads drop at the football club and my teams will never be like that, they’ll go to the death.

“We could have nicked an equaliser and gone on to win the game, but it wasn’t to be, but we will go again.

“It’s a cup that we’re disappointed to be out of because it’s one you think you can go far in and get to a final, but we now turn our attention to Brimscombe & Thrupp in the league this Saturday which again is going to be tough.”

Burnham return to action in the Hellenic League Premier Division with a trip to second-from-bottom Brimscombe & Thrupp this Saturday (3pm).