London Lions excellent start to the season came to a grinding halt on Tuesday night as Risborough Rangers took all three points at Horsendon Lane.
Danny Gray scored the first 15 minutes into the game before Sam Ward headed home a second two minutes into the second-half. James Shrimp rubbed salt into the wounds, sealing the points three minutes into injury time.
However, Lions created enough chances during the 90 minutes to take something from the game. Max Kyte saw a great turn and shot cannon off the post with Lions trailing 1-0, Josh Kennet spurred two good efforts to add to his hat-trick from Saturday pulling both his shots wide and Adam Bolle had two opportunities to score with his head, but saw both efforts fly over the bar.
Lions paid the price for a sluggish start, midweek games never allow you the time needed to prepare the way you would on a Saturday. Risborough's early goal galvanised Lions and they finally managed to get a foot hold in the game on 20 minutes.
Max Kyte had the away side's best effort of the night on 28 minutes but his great turn and shot cruelly hit the post and was cleared when the effort deserved much more. Kennet had the final say of the first half when he fired inches wide from just outside the Risborough box.
Two minutes into the second-half, Lions conceded possession from a throw in their half. Risborough returned the ball and with Mario Cenolli off his line and Sam Ward getting behind the Lions defence, he somehow managed to head the ball backwards over the keeper and watch the ball drop into the empty goal.
It was somewhat of a cruel blow for the away side and highly fortuitous given the manner of the how the goal went in.
Lions were clearly shell-shocked but then started to gain momentum as Charlie Rubin, Joe Sharpe and Rafi Soccairello started to get more involved especially in midfield areas. Kennet was a constant outlet but his final ball eluded him and time and again Lions failed to deliver good quality balls from dangerous areas.
Sharpe was then on the end of a nasty vindictive challenge which saw the Risborough number seven receive a straight red card.
With Lions throwing everything at Risborough in the final 10 minutes including the kitchen sink, they were caught on the counter in the 93rd minute as Shrimp rolled home a third.
"This was never a 3-0 game, but I suppose it was going to take a little bit of magic or a bit of luck and we never got it," Andy Landesberg commented.
"We've not responded to the disappointment of the first goal and that's something that we need to work on, as there will be times in the season where things don't go our way but you've just got to get on with it."
Tony Gold still felt his side played well but couldn't find that killer touch which was so evident in the previous game adding: "We played well in periods of the first and second half, but couldn't find that final bit of quality like we did on Saturday. But the game turns on a lapse of concentration and a lack of discipline which is something we will address and work on over time.
"We have a young inexperienced side who are learning and growing with every game, tonight was a lesson which will hold us all in good stead moving forward.
"3-0 looks like an open game that you deserved to lose but it certainly wasn't that. We just need to defend better collectively as a team.
"It's a team game and we know that we made mistakes so we'll brush ourselves down and make sure that, come Saturday week, those mistakes won't happen again."