Dalbeattie Star boss Eddie Warwick was left bemoaning the woodwork and his side’s luck after Saturday’s defeat to Gretna 2008.
The Lowland League’s bottom club hit the bar early on through Dale Milligan’s header then conceded the only goal when a Lewis Bell free-kick sailed past everyone and found the net with some help from the post.
Warwick (inset) said: “It’s a wee bit of luck on their side as it’s pinged the outside of the post and nestled in the corner.
“You don’t get much luck when you’re in our state. We’ve hit the bar with a great header – if anything he’s headed it too well – and they have scored via the post.
“I thought we were the better team in the first half by far.
“When I watched the game against them from before I came in Gretna won 4-0 at Dalbeattie and it could have been eight.
“All of a sudden we were the better team and it was frustrating to get to half-time at 0-0.
“I said at half-time we were the better team and should be 1-0 up, our goalkeeper had only had to make a save at 44 minutes, which is unheard of at Dalbeattie as he’s usually a very busy man.
“He only made four or five saves and they’ve said he was outstanding. He’s like that every week but he’ll make 10 or 12 saves - and that’s his job.
“They brought Dan Carmichael on at half-time, who I know very well, and I think the players panicked for 20 minutes.
“We weren’t under the cosh in terms of chances but they had corners and pressure and we weren’t seeing much of things. We wobbled for the first 20 minutes and that cost us the game.
“In the last 25 minutes it fizzled out, we were trying to push and their defence was on top while they weren’t able to break us down.”
Defeat in their final game of 2022 left Star rooted to the bottom of the Lowland League, although Edinburgh University are only two points ahead.
Warwick added: “Three months ago that team got beaten 4-0 going on eight, then on Saturday we’ve gone there and deserved a minimum of a point.
“A draw would have been a fair result. I’ve seen it documented that they steamrollered us but it was a very tight game and it was a much improved performance from a Dalbeattie team that is starting to settle down and starting to play.
“It’s a game we targeted to get something from, but I’m sure the previous manager targeted something from the 12 games he had.”
Things didn’t get any better for Star on Tuesday as they slumped to their heaviest ever Lowland League defeat.
They were 2-0 down at Caley Braves inside six minutes and trailed 6-0 at the break, eventually losing 10-0.
Last Saturday’s game was the end of Gospel Ocholi’s time at Star as he has returned to Partick Thistle at the end of his loan spell.
However, Jags team-mate Mason McCready is staying at Islecroft until the end of the season along with Hamilton’s Myles Gaffney and St Mirren’s Gavin Gallagher.
More new arrivals could be on the way, although recent signing Francis Kilpatrick’s season could be over after he suffered a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) injury at Raydale.
Warwick said: “It was an innocuous one and he wasn’t far away from being man of the match on Saturday.
“I’m really happy with that situation. I have another two loans to use and I’m hoping to get three or four players in. There could be a bit of movement this window.”
