STEETON got their new season underway in the worst possible fashion as they succumbed to a heavy loss at Daisy Hill.
In truth, bar a fifteen minute period towards the end of the first half, the Chevrons failed to lay a glove on their hosts.
The visitors proved to be the creators of their own downfalls with a series of defensive errors leading to goals throughout a disjointed performance.
And whilst to be expected with eleven debutants and as many as thirteen players unavailable, manager Roy Mason was left frustrated by a second half showing that has given him more questions than answers.
The home side were the quickest out of the traps and after threatening the new look defensive line, finally found an opening after five minutes.
Daisy Hill played a long ball from the back towards the Steeton box which saw the visitors push up the pitch in an attempt to play a defensive line.
Gerald-Junior McCullion managed to move wide and find space between Akinloye Aremu and Nathan Storton.
With the ball now in his path, the striker skipped through a challenge before finishing beneath the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Oliver Gollcher to break the deadlock.
On the quarter of the hour mark, the hosts doubled their lead as McCullion scored an almost carbon copy of his opener.
The Steeton back three again tried to play the offside trap with the striker getting in behind.
Taking advantage of a miscommunication between Gollcher and his back three, the forward controlled the ball and slotted him into the bottom corner.
The home side had the ball in the back of the net for a third time, McCullion thinking he had completed his hat-trick, but this time the offside trap was successful as the linesman quickly had his flag raised.
A period of possession followed for the visitors but they couldn’t find a breakthrough to half the deficit.
After the interval, Steeton had the first real chance of the half as Macca Smith whipped a superb delivery into the six yard box.
The ball was headed back across the face of goal where Aremu agonisingly turned his own header over the crossbar from within the sea of bodies.
Midway through the second-half, the result was put beyond doubt.
Working the ball out wide to the channels a tame cross caught out both Taylor Foley and Storton as it bobbled up from the dry turf.
Nobody else within the defensive ranks had tracked the run of left-back Oliver Partington at the far post, allowing him an easy finish.
In the 89th minute, Steeton’s best chance of the afternoon came and was subsequently squandered.
From a set piece, the Daisy keeper spilled a catch into the path of three of the visiting players following in the delivery.
However, Christian Asamoah turned the ball over the crossbar from two yards out with an open goal beckoning.
Then in injury time, the salt was rubbed into the wounds with the concession of two more cheap goals to the anger of Mason on the touchlines.
Hitting on the counter attack, Daisy worked their way to the edge of the Steeton area.
Once inside the box, Foley lunged into the challenge leaving the referee no option but to point to the spot.
William Shawcross converted with ease for the first of two goals in two minutes for the midfielder.
And just ninety second later, Gollcher played a short pass out the back to Storton, leaving his defender under pressure.
Shawcross won the ball before taking a touch and firing across the goalkeeper inside the far post.
STEETON (Subs): Gollcher; M Smith; Foley; Aremu (Rush); Storton; Bishop; Darko; Spence (Asamoah); Coe (Mather); Abbas (Terrelonge-Jones); Dowden (Mullins).
