FC continued to create chances but unfortunately could not find that second goal, with defeat now meaning the club drop into the Hellenic League Supplementary Cup where they will visit Premier Division outfit Westfields on Saturday, 9th April (3pm kick-off).

Despite being disappointed with the defeat, Cooksey told the Herald he could not fault the effort the players put in at the Home Guard Club.

“Obviously we were up against it when we went down to ten men inside the first ten minutes, but I was really proud of the way the lads performed and they were unlucky not to get something out of the game,” he said.

“Even with ten men we were creating chance after chance. With some players missing through sickness and injury it meant I had a centre-forward playing right-back and a central midfielder as a centre-half. On top of that we’ve then had to put a midfielder in goal and then another midfielder at left-back.

“Our shape was unbalanced but they performed really well as a team and I cannot fault them for that.”

While the upcoming cup tie against Herefordshire side Westfields will be a stern test, Cooksey says it will be an eye-opener in terms of understanding the quality gap between the Premier Division and Division One of the Hellenic League.

“Since we’ve taken over we’ve played champions Studley, got a point against high-flying Worcester Raiders and beat Hereford Pegasus, a side in the play-off mix, so the game against Westfields is a great opportunity for the lads to really test themselves,” he added.

“One thing is for sure is that I’m going to have some selection headaches. While I am hopeful of having some players back, those that played on Saturday, even those who were out of position, earned their shirts and I’m thinking why should I change something that worked?”