Chippenham Town were made to pay for their missed opportunities as their proud unbeaten home record came to a grinding halt in the 2-1 loss to Hemel Hempstead on Tuesday night.

The Bluebirds had not been defeated in the league at Hardenhuish Park since September and had won nine of the 11 games played at the venue in that time.

After the game had been delayed due to heavy rain-fall, and came close to being postponed, they appeared on course for victory number ten when Sean Seavill put them in front with a powerful low strike on 45 minutes.

A series of earlier misses proved to be their undoing when Hemel emerged with renewed purpose to score two second half goals and move three points clear of the Bluebirds.

“We had our chances to win it,” said injured club captain Iain Harvey.

“The lads were absolutely all over them in the first half and if we had gone in three up it would have been fair.”

Chippenham should have been a goal up on seven minutes when Scott Lye’s shot appeared to cross the line but the linesman was not in position to make a decision. Striker David Pratt also missed a sitter on 52 minutes when his header bounced over the bar from four yards in front of an open goal.

The miss gave Hemel a new-found sense of belief and their equaliser came shortly after through Chris Dillon, although the Chippenham defence should have cleared the danger earlier in the move.

From that point on there only looked like being one winner and it came as no surprise when Anthony Thomas, on loan from Blue Square Premier side Stevenage, put the visitors in front with a first-time strike on 68 minutes.

Chippenham threw on Luke Gullick, but not striker Iain Sercombe, to chase the game but failed to trouble a resolute Hemel defence, who easily held on to take all three points back to Hertfordshire.

Chippenham Town: Snoddy, Adams, Lamb, Halliday, Casey, Holly, Lye, Williams, Pratt. Seavill, Allison (Gullick 78). Subs not used: Sercombe, Martin, Gardner, Swallow.