TERRAS’ boss Mark Molesley had much to ponder as he saw his side fall desperately short of the high standards he has set this term in a 1-0 reverse to relegation-threatened St. Albans City at a rain-sodden Bob Lucas Stadium.

Few would have envisaged such a poor start to the busy Christmas period of games, especially as Weymouth had already put Saints to the sword on two occasions already this season with both games ending in comprehensive 4-1 victories.

As his charges dropped two places to sixth in the standings Molesley admitted: “It was a disappointing afternoon for us. We didn’t reach anywhere near our standards – from the word go we were slow out of the traps, which was one of the lessons we needed to learn from the Barnet game.

“I don’t think we seized any initiative in the game; we huffed and puffed quite a bit, showed spells where we looked like we would threaten to get into gear but never quite followed it through.”

The hosts ultimately lost the game seconds before the half-time whistle in what Molesley described as a “freak goal” when keeper Calum Ward slipped as a 20-yard shot, deflected by Joe Iaciofano, slid past him on the line.

The match stats showed that Saints were good value for the win as they carved out nearly three times as many attempts on goal (11-4) and won the corner count 9-2.

As a consequence the manager was not only critical of the team but his own performance on the day when he continued: “It’s not often I come in and question us as a team but I think there were a few questions asked of the players but also of myself.

“The gameplan wasn’t executed so I’ve got to look at myself first – I obviously haven’t got it right this week.”

However, ahead of the big Boxing Day visit to high-flying Havant & Waterlooville, Molesley concluded that it wasn’t time for “panic stations” and he would use the disappointment as “a re-set button and a little slap around the face.”

He ended with a measure of assurance, saying: “This group doesn’t come up short very often, and they usually react very well – that’s the attitude I’m looking for and it’s certainly not panic stations. We can’t wait to get back on the pitch and put things right. All may be forgiven if we could react and get a result there.”