Huddersfield Town Women went down 3-0 at home to league leaders Nottingham Forest on Sunday but head coach Glen Preston said there was little between the two sides.
Forest are top of the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division and the Terriers expected a tough test at the Stafflex Arena.
On the result and performance Preston said: “It was a huge disappointment. I think Forest deserved the win, they just edged it although there wasn’t a lot in it. If you take out what happened in both penalty boxes there wasn’t a lot between the two sides.
“I didn’t think we were on the back foot at any point. I thought they tried to hit us on the counter on two or three occasions.
“We have to concentrate on our own performances and that of the referee because the penalty that was given wasn’t a penalty. It was an unbelievable tackle by my player and that decision changed the game. The second goal is an own goal from a setpiece of theirs. So if you look at it neither keeper had a save to make, there was nothing between the two sides.
“The second half we were inches from making it 2-1, they counter-attacked and made it 3-0. It was difficult to pick the players up after the game because they saw the game at half-time as we did, that there was something there for us.
“I take positives from that game, there was a minimal difference between the two sides and on another day the outcome could have been reversed.”
Forest went ahead in the eighth minute when Charlotte Steggles scored from the penalty spot. A deflected own goal made it 2-0 in the 26th minute and Town went in at half-time 2-0 down but with hope.
That hope was extinguished two minutes into the second half when Charlotte Greengrass volleyed home.
The day went from bad to worse for Town with Lauren Joyce being sent off in the 75th minute and Georgia Marshall sin-binned.
Town’s next game is their League Cup quarter-final clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers next Sunday 2pm kick off.
