Salford City boss Peter Cklamovski said there were plenty of positives to take from his side’s narrow 1-0 defeat against Chesterfield but admitted they must learn from crucial defensive mistakes.
The Spireites opened the scoring in the second minute when a low Josh Koroma shot was pushed into the path of Lee Bonis, who tapped home from close range.
Salford were second best for large periods but grew into the contest after the break and went close when Ben Woodburn hit the base of a post midway through the second half.
The hosts improved after Cklamovski made five second-half changes and were inches away from an equaliser in added time when Chesterfield midfielder Ryan Stirk headed onto his own post.
After the match, Cklamovski rued a disappointing start but said he was pleased with the way his team grew into the game as it wore on.
He said: “We are all disappointed not to get the result. We learned a simple but harsh lesson: we just can’t give away goals.
“I felt like that giveaway goal early wounded us a little bit for a short period of time in that first half and we lost a bit of confidence because the boys wanted it so much.
“After the emotion of a setback like that, you saw the response in terms of how we grew into the game thereafter, created multiple chances and hit the post twice.
“We have just got to sharpen up the blade, be a bit steelier and not give things away. If we give presents to our opponents, it’s going to make it tough.
“We need to cut those out to be the team we dream of being. If we give presents to our opponents, it’s going to make it tough.
“I think that’s fantastic that there’s expectation on us. To do something special, you need to be sharper and smarter in games to win matches too.”
