Ryan Qualter demands more from Tadcaster Albion players following back-to-back losses
Ryan Qualter has demanded more from his Tadcaster Albion players after they suffered back-to-back defeats in the space of five days.
The Brewers made a superb start to 2025/26 and have been hot on the heels of NCEL Premier Division leaders Liversedge for the vast majority of the campaign to date.
But, after suffering a shock 6-1 mauling at the hands of Campion in midweek, they surrendered a 2-1 lead on their way to a 3-2 loss to Eccleshill United on Saturday afternoon.
And Qualter was left understandably frustrated that his side passed up the opportunity to bounce straight back from last week’s disappointment.
“Of course these defeats concern us,” he said. “When we have lost a game before, we have always bounced back, but we haven’t managed to do that on Saturday.
“Sometimes you have got to question whether we [as a management team] got it right. Maybe not, but I don’t think there was much more we could have done in terms of substitutions because we are suffering a little bit with injuries at the minute.
“But we still had good enough players on the pitch to win that game, it’s just the game-management. We go 2-1 up, and the instruction from us on the sideline was to make sure that things don't go flat, and we don't drop too deep - but we did the complete opposite.
"I keep saying that we are a young team but we had some experienced heads out there on Saturday - and they need to lead it a little bit more.
“But, the young lads need to step up as well. They can’t just keep hiding behind their age. You have got to be ready to be able to play this level of football, and at the minute I think we are finding that a little bit of inexperience is killing us."
Daniel Laban handed Eccleshill a 13th-minute lead at Ings Lane, before Laurence Sorhaindo levelled matters on his Tadcaster debut.
Another debutant, Craig Nelthorpe then put Albion 2-1 up from a free-kick on 70 minutes, only for Joshua McKiernon and Alexander Laird to strike late to settle matters.
That defeat means that the Brewers have now taken just one point from the last 12 on offer and find themselves fifth in the table.
They return to action this Saturday, on the road at rock-bottom Wombwell Town (3pm).