Halstead Town boss believes throwing away three-goal lead in 3-3 draw with Little Oakley will make his players stronger

Mark McLean believes last weekend’s 3-3 draw at home to Little Oakley, which saw his Halstead Town side throw away a three-goal lead, will make his players stronger, writes Alex Moss.

The Humbugs had looked to be on course for a 14th win in the Thurlow Nunn League First Division South on Saturday, as goals from Ben Morgan, Adam Morris and Kane Gilbert saw them storm into a comfortable lead with just over 30 minutes on the clock.

But the visitors fought back, with goals in both first half and second half added time, extinguishing Halstead’s advantage.

The Humbugs then saw their latest stint at the First Division South summit come to an end on Tuesday, after Hashtag United’s 2-1 win over Lopes Tavares took them to the top on goal difference.

McLean takes his Halstead side to Lopes this Saturday (3pm), and has stressed the importance of reacting to last weekend’s draw, but also learning from it as well.

“It will make us stronger,” the Humbugs boss said. “What doesn’t beat us makes us stronger, and will set us up for future experiences.

“It was really frustrating, as it felt like a defeat at the end. But it’s about how we react now.

“There’s been times when I’ve not been happy with the performance and gone through the players, but there was too much in the game on Saturday for me to do that.

“At times we probably played some of the best football we’ve played all season.”

Jack Cherry, Chris Harris, Jordan Pavett and Jamie Baker should all be back this weekend.