BRYAN HUGHES: We must retain our focus

It wasn’t the best of games or pitches and the conditions weren’t great, but there are no excuses.

We started brightly and got our noses in front, but after that we relaxed too much and let them back into it.

We were in total control when they scored their equaliser, but that gave them the belief to go on.

When we went in at half-time 2-1 down we were all asking ourselves how it had happened.

The goal that Jimmy Beadle scored was easily our goal of the season, but that was overshadowed by a lacklustre performance.

Maybe it was a touch of complacency. If you want to be successful you can’t afford to switch off.

You see it happening at every level of football though, right up to the top.

Because of the run we have been on and the goal we scored early in the game, possibly we thought that was that.

We had chances after our goal as well, the best probably being when Gary Bradshaw put one just over the bar.

We needed to go on and kill Ossett off, that is what successful sides do and that is what we should have done.

We have spoken at length since Saturday and we will be doing exactly the same at training tonight.

You could see the lads were hurting, as they were after the defeat at Darlington on Boxing Day.

There is still a lot of football to be played and we must focus on each one of those games, starting against Warrington.

When Paul Foot and I took over we were maybe looking at consolidation, but since then we have moved into a good position.

That isn’t just down to our input, it is down to the players, who have been magnificent.

If we can keep going together and stay in there then who knows what will happen?