Dean put a positive spin on Lingfield’s latest setback, their fourth successive league defeat of the New Year following a nightmare recent lengthy lay-off due to waterlogged pitches. The village club have fallen away dramatically after last season’s highest ever sixth placed finish to their campaign.

He said: “People have criticised me for our results this season but I thought that the players did me proud again today. It was just bad luck with a penalty and an own goal which cost us this game.

“I had been planning to play three centre backs in a game for a long time and, even though our formation was forced upon us today through being without our left backs Marco Mwanza and Dan Frith, it worked superbly. Lingfield’s man of the match Jay Kalama, Harry Cox, making his first team debut, and my son Alfie all looking comfortable within that set-up.

“So I remain optimistic about this club’s future, particularly with so many good young players coming through our Under 18s system under their manager Bobby Bryce, and I was really pleased with The Lingers’ supporters who travelled today.”

Sadly, Frith, who watched the game, has been ruled out of action for the remainder of this season due to a recurring hamstring injury, stretching Dean’s depleted playing resources still further in an arduous finish to this term particularly after right back Dean Carden joined Horsham YMCA recently.

This was certainly hardly a classic on a sloping, bobbly pitch which tested players to their maximum ability.

Crucially, Lingfield failed to convert their slight first-half superiority, playing down the pronounced slope with wasted chances hampering both sides’ performances, with both goalkeepers hardly being troubled.

But Cox, signed from Horley Town, having played for the Combined Counties League Premier Division club’s first team, impressed after being fast tracked into Lingers’ senior side following a recent brief youth team introduction, while Tom Gannon, signed from Horsham YMCA, did well on his debut, and fellow midfielder Nick Davies returned following a lengthy lay-off to impress.

The visitors’ new shape and fluid formation proved to be extremely effective, before falling flat on their faces in front of goal.

Ringmer broke the dreary deadlock after 68 minutes when referee Lee Cramp adjudged that Cox had fouled Jack McClean just inside the penalty area and Jamie Bunn sent impressive U18s and first team keeper Scott Millar the wrong way from the resultant spot-kick.

Joel O’Hara equalised after 79 minutes, latching onto Clinton Moore's through ball and racing through to shoot home at the near post, beating keeper Josh James for O’Hara’s third goal in four league games in 2014.

But Ringmer, boosted by playing down the slope in the second half, capitalised with their fortuitous 84th minute winner, McClean finding Dan Bolwell whose near post shot was parried by Millar only for the rebound to go in off Kalama from close range for a crucial own goal.

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