Dalgleish took many positives from a match he believed should not have taken place owing to the condition of Wealden's pitch.

He said: "The pitch was like a mud bath, it must have been a goalkeeper's nightmare. I was fairly disappointed that the referee didn't call it off.

"The result was also disappointing but I couldn't fault the way we played. The only sloppy goal we conceded was the first one.

"It is looking a bit ominous at the moment, but we just need to keep playing like this and how we did on Saturday.

"We're creating chances and if we keep on working, I know we have the ability for things to fall into place.

"We are in the mire as they say, and we need to dig ourselves out."

Wealden opened the scoring early on after breaking from a Steyning corner. A pin-point cross was fired into the box and their striker dispatched it past Mike Abbott.

They had doubled their lead with a well-worked goal, before Town pulled one back before the break.

A flicked-on corner was only half cleared by Wealden, and after a couple of efforts, James Pargeter smashed the ball home through the heavy mud.

Steyning looked much the brighter heading into half-time and would not have wanted to stop for the break, as they lost their momentum from the restart.

Steyning could hinge the blame for conceding the third on the pitch.

They went to clear the ball but it just stopped running, and was picked up by a winger, crossed in, and hit home. Wealden then added another late on.

Town paid the price for a profligate display in their 3-1 defeat at home to Littlehampton on Saturday.

Dalgleish said: "We had no luck and I've never seen such a one-sided game. The game should have been over by half-time and it was just unbelievable."

Nani Ali put Steyning ahead before the break but they then missed a whole host of presentable opportunities.

Sean Hourigan fired wide, Ali somehow failed to score from a yard out, and Ryan Pratt completely miskicked in front of an open goal in the best of their many chances.

An Idriz Adedoja double, along with a Jamie Buckett free-kick, gave Golds the points.

STEYNING v Wealden: Abbott; Pratt, Dutton, Goodridge, Whittingham; Pickup, Shelford, Hourigan, Ali; Pargter, Hearne. Subs: Webb (Pargeter 60), Blackley (Dutton 70), Hayler.

v Littlehampton: Ford; Edmonds, Parsons, Goodridge, Whittingham; C. Duffett, Hourigan, Pratt, S. Pickup; Hearne, Nani Ali. Subs: Dutton, Rose (Pratt, Edmonds 60), Pargeter (Parsons 80).

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