A poor first half performance condemned Deal to their first home league defeat in 10 matches on Saturday.

The Hoops went in at the break trailing 3-0 and although they took control of the game in the second half Derek Hares’ side had left themselves with far too much to do.

Coming on the back of their six-point Bank Holiday weekend made the outcome even more disappointing for Hares, who said: “All their goals in the first half came from our mistakes, and we were all over them in the second half.”

The match finished with Deal peppering the visitors’ goal but their only reward was a superb late strike from Sam Wilson after the Hoops had once again found Lordswood frustrating opposition.

The Medway side went in front with 13 minutes gone through Helge Orome after the Hoops failed to cut out a left-wing cross, and the same player then scored again 10 minutes before the break after being presented with an unexpected shooting opportunity when Harry Alexander involuntarily trod on the ball.

Connor Coyne twice went close for the Hoops at the other end as they tried to recover, only for Lordswood to score again right on half-time when Jason Hollick headed home unchallenged from a corner.

That could have proved a real “knockout blow” for Deal, but instead they gradually built up a head of steam in the second half which ended with the Lords’ goal being put under  severe pressure in the last 10 minutes. Ryan Philpott’s clever lob was palmed onto a post by goalie  Ryan Chandler, who then flung himself to his right to keep out Steve Butcher’s sweetly struck half-volley.

Chandler, however, was comprehensively beaten in time added on when Wilson brought the ball down with his right foot before thundering home a left-foot volley in off the underside of the bar.

Jack Paxman then somehow headed a Butcher cross down into the ground and over the bar as the Hoops continued their late siege on the Lordswood goal, but the damage had already been done much earlier on.

Deal: Tonkin, Paxman, O’Brien (Alexander 23), Hill, Smith, Hark (Philpott 63), Reeves (Walsh 46), Butcher, Coyne, Wilson, A Miller.

Lordswood: Chandler, Griffin, Laker, Hollick, Cooke, Huggin, Newton, Healy, Mahon, Wells, Orome.