YELTZ manager John Hill says he was surprised at how poor his side were against Frickley Athletic last Saturday.

Halesowen conceded in injury time to lose 2-1 after a disappointing display at the Grove.

That defeat followed back-to-back cup defeats but came as a shock to Hill.

He said: "I was massively disappointed. I just never saw that level of performance coming.

"It was a shock. It was a flat, poor performance from us.

"You can also look at individual errors again because their winning goal was very avoidable.

"Even though we weren't at our best, we still should have took a point from the game, been unbeaten and moved on."

The Yeltz had fallen behind at the end of the first half when Noel Burdett poked the ball home following indecision between defender Kyle Morrison and goalkeeper Dan Platt.

Star striker Kaiman Anderson levelled matters just seven minutes after the re-start as he headed in Danny Bragoli's cross.

However, it was the visitors that ended the game the stronger and bagged all three points when Nathan Valentine rifled past Platt from long range in the third minute of added time.

Hales were set to face Walsall in the Birmingham Senior Cup last night before travelling to take on 19th-placed Marine this Saturday.

Hill now wants a reaction from his players so they don't undo the hard work that saw them enjoy a fruitful October when they lost just two of their nine fixtures.

He added: "I won't approach the Walsall game any differently. We need a performance and a reaction.

"That is also the case this Saturday. A win would get us back on track quickly but we also need to make sure we don't lose it.

"You can't take your eye off the ball in this league because it is so competitive."

Forward Ethan Delaney was set to miss the Walsall game with a groin injury but will be assessed ahead of the trip to Marine.

Meanwhile, Hill has bolstered his ranks with the arrival of goalkeeper John Bateman from Chasetown.