Hyde United boss Nick Spooner conceded he’ll “have to go shopping” after Ilkeston put three unanswered goals past his side on a sweltering bank holiday Monday.
Morale was high after the Tigers ran riot in a 5-2 win against Whitby Town on Saturday and Hyde again started on the front foot, with Lewis Rawsthorne twice coming close before Ilkeston opened the scoring on 21 minutes.
Man of the match Jordan Stevens guided a freekick onto the head of Sam Parker, whose effort bounced in via the woodwork.
The hosts extended their lead on the half-hour mark, when Festus Arthur found himself on the wrong end of a contentious handball decision.
Jamie Walker dispatched the penalty despite Yusuf Mersin diving the right way.
L’Varn Brandy gave right-back Luke Partington a headache on his first start for Hyde, and although Rawsthorne again almost got his name on the scoresheet, Ilkeston made it 3-0 just before half-time when Robbie Fox scored his first goal for the club.
Spooner wrung the changes at the break in bringing on a trio of subs – including club captain Jack Redshaw – but the home side remained in control despite Hyde throwing men forward.
Illness to the referee disrupted any momentum Hyde tried to build at the start of the second period, necessitating a 30-minute break in play while officials tried to find someone to run the line.
Taylor Dyson showed his prowess from dead ball situations in putting Ilkeston under aerial pressure, but it was Mersin who made a pair of vital saves at the other end to keep the score down.
“[Consistency] is the one thing we’re lacking,” Spooner said. “Fair play to them, they’ve done exactly what we wanted to do to them.
“Another thing is work rate. We’ve not worked today – we had a good 20 minutes, looked comfortable, they were just running about, but we didn’t play our system and went from back to front too long.
“It’s unacceptable. We’ve got three or four lads over six foot, we were bigger than them today, but they still could have scored three or four goals from set plays.
“It’s never been our problem before. There were daft goals we conceded last year, but we didn’t concede many – this year we look vulnerable whenever someone comes forward against us.
“I’ve had a little go at Yusuf at half-time, but then he’s gone and pulled off two or three great saves, so I’ve got to question what’s in front of him.
“I’d say we’re mentally weak, so do I have to go and bring new players in? I probably do…I’ll have to go shopping.”
