Harrogate Railway will have to find a way to deal with 'bumps in the road', says Rob Youhill after first defeat

Unbeaten in their opening nine matches, the Starbeck outfit suffered a first league defeat of the season on Saturday afternoon after throwing away a 2-0 advantage at home to Doncaster City.

In full control of the contest thanks to Alex Burton's quickfire early brace, Railway conceded three times after the 84th minute to somehow lose that game 3-2.

But Youhill believes that finding a way to cope with such set-backs is key to their hopes of enjoying a successful campaign.

"I am very pleased with the squad we have put together and the start to the season we have made, but no matter how good you are, there are always going to be bumps in the road," Youhill said.

"And it is about how we deal with them. There are going to be these trials and tests and it is my job to make sure that the train doesn't come off the tracks.

"We are going to lose games. There are some very good teams in this division and clubs with huge budgets, so it is going to be a real challenge to stay where we want to be, which is near the top of the table.

"There has been a really good feeling in our dressing room and we have been riding a wave with the start that we have had. The important thing is how we react to setbacks. We have to make sure that we stick together."

Centre-forward Burton broke the deadlock just 10 minutes into Saturday's game when he volleyed home emphatically from Harris Eggleston's cross.

Less than 60 seconds later, the lethal Burton made it 2-0 having once again been set up by Eggleston.

Railway continued to dominate proceedings, with Alex Ingham and Sam Drake both going close to adding a third goal before half-time.

Doncaster began to grow into the match as the second period progressed, though with just six minutes of normal time remaining, the home side remained two goals to the good.

Reagan Waud would however trim the deficit from the penalty spot, before going on to net twice in stoppage time to snatch all three points.

“It was definitely a game of two halves,” Youhill added.

“We didn’t get going at all after half-time and when that happens it can be really difficult to then spice it back up.

“It was almost like a free hit for Doncaster, going in at half-time 2-0 down. They came out and had a go, and when you don’t really have a go back, they can grow into the game.

“Anyone will grow into the game if you give them a sniff, so it is really disappointing.”

Saturday's loss leaves Railway second in the NCEL Division One standings, where they sit four points behind leaders Dearne & District, but with a game in hand.