PICKERING Town fell to a first home defeat since January as a late smash and grab saw Bottesford Town leave Mill Lane with the points.
Substitute Jonathan Nyantou’s 88th minute header proved the difference, with the Pikes again made to rue missed chances on their home turf.
Having dominated the first half, it was chalk and cheese after the break, with Bottesford’s winner almost inevitable as Pickering let the result slip out of their grasp.
Assistant coach Joe Connor fumed to club media: “It was a bad game of football.
“We did okay in spells in the first half, moved the ball quite well and had a few opportunities. But the second half, everything that we told them – it doesn’t matter if we can’t get in the play-offs, but if you’ve got no personal pride and no desire to come away with a positive result, then that’s what you get.
“We just drifted in the second half and the majority just let the game pass them by.
“You just knew they were going to score towards the end, it was massively disappointing.”
Pickering came out of the blocks well, carving out the game’s first chance in the eighth minute, but Omar Sanyang’s teasing cross just evaded the onrushing Joe Wood.
And though they did have the ball in the back of the net three minutes later after Souleymane Coulibaly bundled home the rebound from a spilled Wood effort, it was correctly ruled out for offside.
Coulibaly fired another effort just wide before the Pikes saw a second goal disallowed, with an infringement spotted in the build-up as the striker slid home Wood’s cross.
Pickering saw two goals disallowed before Bottesford struck a late winner. (Image: Ellen Thornton) “Their lads are laughing at the officials after he’s given that second one offside,” Connor continued. “But doesn’t take away from the fact that we were absolutely miles off it this afternoon.”
Pickering saw more chances pass them by in the second half, with Wood’s long-range effort whistling past the post before Sanyang diverted a cross narrowly wide.
Instead, it was Bottesford who came up with a late winner, with an unmarked Nyantou heading home past Alfie Burnett with two minutes left to play.
The Pikes will hope to deliver a better performance when they entertain leaders Silsden on Saturday (3pm).
