PENISTONE Church’s bad run continued as they lost 3-1 at Albion Sports in the NCEL Premier

The visitors went 2-0 up then, after Nathan Keightley pulled one back, they added a third.

Church are now 11th, ten points off the top five play-off places with seven games to play.

All of the sides around them have games in hand on Church who are due to complete their league schedule by playing every Saturday until April 5 when the season is due to end.

They also have a League Cup quarter-final at home to Handsworth on March 5.

Church have won one of ten and their next game is at Barton Town on Saturday.

Coach Brett Lovell said: “We are gutted and deflated, not with the performance of the lads who were excellent against a good side.

“It was a really good game.

“We could have been 2-0 up in the first ten minutes.

“We had the injury to Staffy (James Stafford) whose shoulder has popped out again. We’re gutted for him and it will be major loss.

“We conceded a poor goal and we nearly equalised. I thought we deserved to be ahead at half-time.

“They scored from a free-kick that wasn’t taken from the right place and the referee didn’t want to speak to me about it after the game.

“We scored an excellently-worked goal then had a real good period of pressure but conceded again.

“We’re performance-driven and we think the next win is only around the corner.”