HARD work and determination will provide the response Pickering Town manager Tony Hackworth wants from his players after a four-game winning run came to a shuddering halt.

The player-boss watched his side slump to their first defeat since the start of December as Albion Sports came to the Recreation Ground and took away all three points in a 3-2 Northern Counties East League premier division victory.

It was a game the Pikes never led, though they did level the scores twice, but Hackworth was left “bitterly disappointed” by the result and revealed a dressing room heart-to-heart with his squad after the clash should leave them in good spirits ahead of the visit of Nostell Miners Welfare on Saturday.

Last night (Tuesday) Pickering were hoping to progress in the League Cup but faced a tricky fourth round tie against Cleethorpes Town, second in the table and 3-0 winners over leaders Tadcaster Albion recently.

The Albion Sports game had been rearranged, as Pickering’s scheduled clash with Shaw Lane Aquaforce was postponed because the visitors were meant to play an FA Vase tie and Albion were also without a game.

Hackworth said: “It was good to get a game in but the result was not what we were looking for.

“We were full of confidence going in and were bitterly disappointed after the game. They are a big, physical side and they don’t play much football.

“We didn’t drop to their level but we didn’t play our usual football. We conceded some awful goals to be honest, and could even have got a draw at the end but it wasn’t to be.”

Albion Sports took the lead after 12 minutes when Pikes keeper Toby Wells was beaten to a high ball by Matthew Mathers. It allowed Danny Facey to tap the ball into the net. Pickering were on terms nine minutes later.

Lewis Taylor’s shot went in off the crossbar but the Pikes’ player was still astute enough to rush forward, ahead of Aaron Brian in the Albion goal, to make sure the ball went over the line.

Albion regained the lead 14 minutes into the second half as Alex Crusack broke clear and lobbed the ball over Wells from 25 yards.

But the lead lasted just two minutes.

Ryan Cooper equalised when he reacted quickly after Joel Ramm’s shot was blocked on the line. An end-to-end game was eventually settled, 11 minutes from the end, when Aran Basi headed the ball past Wells.

Pickering: Wells, Belt, Batchelor, Patterson, Tilsley (Banks 80), Aziz, Hawkes, Taylor (Fish 77), Logan, Ramm, Cooper (Outerbridge 77). Subs not used Danby, Gibb.

Nostell have managed just nine points from 22 games this season and last won in the league in October. But Hackworth does not see the game this weekend as a definite three points.

“I don’t take that approach to any football match,” he said. “You have to beat what’s in front of you. Nostell are down there and are fighting for their lives. There is no reason why we can’t go on another good run.

“We have got to play quite a few sides that are below us in the table. We have to respond the right way.

“We spoke at length after the game against Albion Sports and put the question to the lads about where they thought it went wrong.

“That was a good thing. You go back two or three months and if we got a defeat on a Saturday there was a lot of doom and gloom about the place. The lads are desperate to put things right.

“The answers I got back were what I wanted to hear - sheer hard work and determination.”

Hackworth is likely to have a few selection issues ahead of the game, adding: “We had one or two knocks on Saturday. Sam Calvert is still struggling. Niall Tilsley came off injured. Lewis Taylor is struggling with an ankle injury. But other lads will come in.”