MALPAS boss Tommy Lloyd is still shaking his head in disbelief after his side lost to a suckerpunch Curzon goal.
'We had enough chances to win three matches. You would not believe the number of chances we created - and missed,' he said.
The chances came thick and fast all afternoon but, time after time, his wayward forwards conspired to miss the target.
'We had six one-on-ones with their keeper but we never even looked like scoring. The players are suffering from a total lack of confidence in front of goal.
'There's no point naming names - because it's my job to breed confidence in the players, not knock them when they're down,' he said.
Apart from their ineptitude in front of goal, Lloyd was happy with every other facet of his side's play.
'We worked hard, had plenty of possession, our movement was good and our fitness was fine. If we could have got one goal, the avalanche would have begun.
'It's terribly frustrating but we'll work it out,' he said.
Ashton played their part, too, and keeper Mel Sutton had a fine game, pulling off two tremendous saves.
He stood no chance when the visitors grabbed their winner with 10 minutes left. Ashton's striker played a neat onetwo and hit an unstoppable volley into top corner of the net.
Malpas entertain Witton Albion Reserves in the league tomorrow (3pm).
It will be a dress rehearsal for their League Cup final clash which takes place at Wincham Park in Northwich on Tuesday, April 17 (7.30pm).
