Buxton boss reflects on missed opportunity following defeat to FC United of Manchester

Victory would have seen the Bucks go five clear at the top of the table with Matlock in FA Trophy action.

But, instead, they saw their unbeaten home run ended on Saturday in front of a bumper 1,309 crowd.

“It was a missed chance and we are disappointed in how we did it,” reflected Cunningham.

“We were unplayable in the first 15 minutes and I thought we were going to run away with it.

“We should have been 3-0 up, we missed three great chances and the game should have been won then and put to bed.

“We just dropped off after that and started doing all the wrong things and doing the basics wrong, we got punished.

“Credit to FC, they were the better team in the second half, they just wanted it more.

“They worked harder than us and were clinical with their chances that they got.

“I felt it was a game where teams around us dropped points or didn't play and it was a missed opportunity.

“But sometimes you have to look at it in context. We don't use it as an excuse, but we have played with a bare minimum squad.

“Ben Turner has not played recently, Josh Granite has missed the last three games, Ash Chambers hasn’t played in the last three or four games, Diego (De Girolamo) is out - it just got to the point where it caught up with us a bit.”

Buxton started strongly with Tommy Elliott unable to beat the keeper after going clean through.

Ben Middleton nodded narrowly wide, before Jason Gilchrist saw another chance go begging.

Dom Tear put the Bucks ahead after getting on the end of a Jamie Ward cross on 29 minutes.

The Red Rebels dominated the second half and regularly posed a threat to a home defence deprived of Matt Curley through injury after eight minutes.

And the pressure paid off when the visitors drew level on 56 minutes when Curtis Jones turned in Andy White's low free-kick.

And United bagged the points when Joe Duckworth slotted home with ten minutes left.