Their 24-13 defeat at Durham City should be a concern to Aspatria but not just for the Regional 2 North loss.
More because they matched the home side in every way except on the scoreboard and returned home with nothing to show for an otherwise solid performance.
The result leaves the Black Reds in 9th place just two places above the relegation slots.
There will be no panic at Bower Park. The after-game opinion among the coaching team was that only minor adjustments are required to start achieving rewards that match the on-field effort.
At Durham, conditions were ideal for rugby and Aspatria got off to a perfect start.
With a handful of minutes played Aspatria had Durham on the ropes and a clever kick over a struggling defence by scrum half Jack Clegg opened up an opportunity for centre Regan Tinnion to win a footrace for the touchdown.
The lead lasted only a few minutes. A home scrum in the Aspatria 22 and fast release to the City backline was key to engineering a gap in the defensive line.
The tackling might have been better but the score itself was perfect for a 7-5 home advantage.
The two opening scores were followed by a lengthy period of even play when the quality of defence was good on both sides, anchoring the bulk of action in midfield.
The second Durham try was disputed by Aspatria. The penalty, which sparked the score, and the quick dart to the Aspatria line, could not be argued with but whether the ball had actually been played correctly was a hot topic of discussion.
It was not one that Durham would be too bothered about as they increased their lead to 12-5.
The remainder of the half was taken up by Aspatria generally attacking in the City half of the field.
The visitors had ample possession but the home defence was well organised and did enough to frustrate Aspatria.
However on 30 minutes Aspatria reduced the deficit with a Matty Irving penalty and so the half ended at 12-8.
There was another strong start from Aspatria in the second half when again play was mostly confined to the City half.
Early in their defence effort City lost a man to a yellow card for a high tackle. Aspatria missed the penalty but the pressure continued with centre Ryan Scott looking a real threat whenever in possession.
This was Aspatria’s time to strike but they simply could not find a spark that would deliver a try.
At the 60 minute point in the game, acknowledging Aspatria’s dominant share of possession and clear edge in the set scrum, it appeared unlikely that Durham could continue to hold them at bay.
Aspatria looked favourites to go on and win the game when disaster struck.
Durham relieved the pressure with a move down field that ended with a boot towards the Aspatria line.
The situation seemed under control but the clearing kick was too laboured and resulted in a charge down and seven points for City.
The unexpected score lifted the home side and from this point they came back strongly at Aspatria.
If City’s third try had an element of luck their fourth certainly did not. It was a thing of beauty.
City, in one move involving both backs and forwards, did to Aspatria what the visitors had tried to do to City for the previous 20 minutes. Defenders were pulled out of position creating the gap for a bonus point try.
With 15 minutes remaining fortunes had turned and it looked unlikely that Aspatria would be able to chase down a 24-8 deficit.
A bonus point was still obtainable and Aspatria shook off their disappointment and began to hunt this reward.
It came tantalisingly close on 74 minutes when Dan Penman went over in the corner to reduce the arrears to 24-13.
The chase was on for one more try as possession came easy enough for Aspatria but not that spark of inspiration needed to get the job done.
It was a deserved win for Durham City who took a full five points for the win. Normally, such games are won by attacking prowess but on this occasion it was City’s defence that can rightly take the plaudits.
