RUSS Penn highlighted Yeltz’s soft underbelly against the top clubs as two first-half goals sent them spinning to defeat at Spalding.
Halesowen Town’s boss needs to find an answer to a run of results away from the Grove that is undermining a genuine promotion push.
Yeltz slipped to fifth in the Southern Premier Central Division as a 25th-minute Adburamane Sano Sani effort was followed by a second from Bartosz Cybulski.
The Tulips had to weather a storm after the interval but Penn had no complaints after a poor opening 45 minutes.
And if Halesowen are to have an impact on the end of season run-in, the club’s boss needs to remedy an Achilles heel.
Since Christmas, they have lost to both Telford Utd and Stratford on the road and this defeat against the Tulips only served to confirm what Penn thought.
He told the club’s website: “I thought we were really poor, we failed to show up in the first-half against a very physical side who play really well in these type of conditions.
“We thought we picked a team that would eradicate them and put us on the front foot.
“But we weren’t on it, we looked leggy, tired and completely off it.
“Our away form against the top sides is really poor and the performance in the first half proved that point.
“The second was better and if we had scored one of the chances we had, it would have been game on.
“It worked in the second half more than the first because we changed shape and were more aggressive but it was not to be.
“It’s important now we move on and dust ourselves down ready for two big important home games.”
Halesowen have two local derbies to look forward to in the coming fortnight.
First up, they welcome Alvechurch to the Grove and that is followed by the return leg of the No.9 derby when Stourbridge are the visitors on February 22.
