Windscale slid to a 2-1 home defeat by Annfield Plain who were recording their first Wearside League win of the season.
It was a poor all-round performance by the Atoms who cannot complain about the outcome. They will need to pick themselves up quickly when they take on Durham Corinthians at the Falcon on Wednesday evening.
The spectators, match officials and both teams wearing black armbands, observed a minute’s silence for the Queen prior to the kick-off.
Next to bottom of the League with only a point to their name it looked ominous for the visitors when Windscale took the lead in the very first minute.
Ben Graham collected the ball from the kick-off and after skipping past three defenders he guided the ball into the bottom corner beyond the reach of Ian Costello.
Understandably for a team with such a poor record Annfield were rocked by this early setback and Windscale dominated for the next 15 minutes with some good possession but were unable to add to their early success.
The visitors came close to levelling the scores in the 17th minute, an effort from Cameron Davison slipping the wrong side of the upright.
The Atoms were producing the majority of the chances but they were denied by some resolute defending, particularly from the Plains central defenders, Matthew Waller and Stephen Burrows.
The home cause was not helped with some wayward passing resulting in the breakdown of promising attacking moves.
Annfield levelled the scores in the 40th minute, the result of miscommunication between Windscale keeper, Ian Studholme and defender Dan Morgan. They failed to clear the ball effectively after a cross came in from the right, and Aaron Wilkinson drove the loose ball into the back of the net.
Graham almost put the home side ahead again two minutes later. He fired in a shot with Costello slightly off his line but the keeper managed to scramble back, pushing the ball onto the bar and to safety.
The visitors took the lead a minute before the half-time whistle. The Atoms were slow to react to close down Davison who ran onto a through ball, despatching it beyond Studholme.
The second period failed to produce any further goals, Windscale coming closest with two efforts rebounding off the woodwork.
Annfield Plain, delighted with an elusive first League win of the season rightly celebrated accordingly at the end of the game.
