SLUGGISH starting Stourport Swifts repaired a poor first-half performance against Rocester to reel off a 2-2 draw this week, writes Nick Pullen.

But they couldn’t recover another sorry first-half show when they followed up with a 3-2 beating by Brocton.

The defeat by Brocton was all the more disappointing as Swifts had already beaten the Stafford side in this season’s FA Cup.

Manager Mark Phillips admitted: “I’d warned the players about complacency before the game and then we went and gave away two really sloppy goals!

Swifts had given themselves a mountain to climb against Rocester, going 2-0 down and then having full back Jamie Hyde sent off for two bookable offences.

Despite being down to 10 men, Swifts ran the legs off Rocester in the second half and clawed themselves back onto level terms through goals from Jack Bailey and Ryan Wollacott.

Phillips was more upset about the start his side made against Brocton.

After going 2-0 down, they clawed a goal back through James Hill but then conceded a penalty.

Phillips claimed: “We got caught on the break but our goalkeeper Dom Richards came racing out to try and get the ball. I thought he got to the ball first and won it, but the referee thought differently and declared he’d brought their player down and awarded them a penalty to make it 3-1. We pulled another goal back through Ben Maund, but it wasn’t enough.”

Swifts are on FA Vase duty this Saturday when they entertain West Midlands League side Black Country Rangers.

Despite playing a side from a lower level, Phillips is under no illusions of the task ahead and said: “Black Country are underdogs and will be up for this game.

“They are a tough physical side and that is always going to be difficult for a young side to cope with. It will be a tough learning curve and we will have to be on our mettle.”