AFC Fylde manager Dave Challinor was frustrated with the ‘difference in performance’ between the two halves during the 2-1 defeat at Stalybridge Celtic.

The Coasters saw their lead cut at the top of the National League North to six points following the defeat and Challinor was disappointed with his side’s second half showing at Bower Fold.  

Challinor said: “I’m disappointed with the difference in performance more than anything else, between the first half and second half. It was like chalk and cheese. We knew that the pitch was horrific and it was worse than I thought it would be when we got here. We’ve been working all week towards it and we knew that they would be pretty direct.

“In the first half, we were brilliant. You could argue that the game should have been over with the chances that we had. It wasn’t and then we switched off from a corner. We got ourselves back in it after we had three one on ones.

“At half time, you’re looking to push on but our performance was very poor. It lacked everything really. Whether it was too easy in the first half, you try and say the right things at half time. We talked about doing the same things that we did in the first half.

“Whether that fell on deaf ears, I don’t know. From the first minute of the second half, we were second to everything and that has to be down to mentality and not down to footballing ability. On that pitch, football ability made no difference whatsoever.”