Baldock Town manager Dave McAdam feels his side deserve much more credit even after their FA Vase exit at home to Newport Pagnell Town.

A 4-1 win at New Lamb Meadow sent the holders through to the third round but didn't really reflect the overall nature of the game.

The reality was the Reds were in the game for long periods and only basic mistakes let the gap in the score grow.

The boss said: "People know we are a young side and personally and I don’t feel we get given the respect I feel we deserve. We will play decent football at times. 

"We played Risborough on Tuesday, won 2-0, but apparently we were under the cosh, just put men behind the ball and that’s not the way we do things and it won’t be the way I do things. 

"The boys get the rough end of the stick from these bigger teams. 

"For periods [against Newport Pagnell] we were holding our own and playing well. 

"But when you switch off, goals go in." 

And it is cutting out the errors that is now high on the agenda for McAdam.

He said: "We gave a good account of ourselves in the first half but second half we had our bellies tickled a little bit. 

"We didn’t really come out as men in the second half, we came out as boys and we just never got going. We never really created, never really broke the line and just lacked that final bit of quality. 

"You can’t make simple errors and gift goals to a side of this quality. 

"The first goal has sort of slipped through, I’m not really sure what happened, but then we have had a good passage of play and scored the goal of the game, well worked and with a great run. 

"We had a one on one with the keeper before that as well and we were on top. 

"But then we switched off for a free-kick, left an overload and got punished. 

"Those are the fine margins."

The Reds will now lick their wounds and turn their concentrate back to the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division campaign, starting with a trip to Leverstock Green on Saturday. 

And they will take positives from the loss to the Swans.

"Full credit to them," said McAdam, "they just keep playing and keep doing the same sort of things.

"They prey on the mistakes, that’s what they do, and that’s where we need to get to. 

"We need to eliminate our errors and stop conceding easy goals that we don’t get. 

"I’m gutted for the lads because they could have done a bit better for themselves but in the same respect, they are trying and giving their all. 

"We’ve got youth coming through, that is a big part of the club, and we’ve held last year’s winners of the Vase a bit, even if the score doesn’t reflect that."