LUFFS 1 FAIRFIELD VILLA 2 (21/12/02) A DISAPPOINTING afternoon all round as Loughborough condeded two soft goals to end a run of three wins and register their fourth league defeat of the season. It is a tight division and this result sends them down from sixth to ninth and the annoying thing is the Villa side were no great shakes. There was a comfortable feeling about this game, Loughborough were in control early on and it seemed just a matter of time before they scored, two glancing headers from Gunn were saved by the Villa keeper Barnes and it signalled an afternoon where keepers decided the outcome of the game. There is no comfort zone in the Midland Combination and Fairfield pinched the lead as the Loughborough keeper Keeling and his defenders got in an awful mess to leave Peters to nip in a score in the empty net. The Luffs spent the rest of the half trying to break down a stubborn Fairfield defence and but for clear-cut chances did most of the attacking. But this league is about clean steets and Loughborough having conceded had a mountain to climb. The second half Fairfield got themselves more into the game and Keeling had to make a couple of crucial saves. Loughborough took the best the Villa could manage and resumed the offensive in search of an equalizer. Several free-kicks were wasted, McIntosh and Mould the guilty parties this week, keeper Barnes was never going to be beaten from distance and certainly not when kicks were not on target. The pressure built up on the visitors, content to sit on their narrow lead and they paid the penalty. Paul O'Callaghan burst through with a turn of pace and placed the ball in the bottom corner. Loughborough simply did not want another draw, there have been eight this season so far and they went looking for the winner and indeed looked quite capable of getting it. But it was the same old story, The Luffs pushing hard for the winner and the opposition breaking, not looking particularly threatening but again defenders and keeper got themselves in a mess and Peters must surely have thought Christmas had come a few days early as he slotted the loose ball in for the winner. Loughborough chased the game until the end but it had taken an hour for them to score and it looked as if it would take another hour to score again and there aren't that many hours in the game. This was a very un-professional performance by The Luffs, after a week earlier they had contained and beaten a much better side at Blackheath, a bit more consitency and The Luffs would be up there in the promotion places instead of hanging around the mid-table looking for scraps. Fort the first time in a few years Loughborough have Boxing day off and return to action at Northfield on Saturday and them at home on New Years Day to Wilmcote. The division is still tight and good results over the Christmas period could paint a much more rosy picture. TEAM:  Richard KEELING, Steve MOULT, Ian STEVENSON, Carl SPRINGTHORPE, Ben BOYCE, Mark EDWARDS, Mark DABNEY, Paul O'CALLAGHAN, Paul GUNN, Steve MOULD, Andrew MACINTOSH Subs:   Neil DUTFIELD, Matt WATKISS, Paul SPRINGTHORPE SCORERS:  Paul O'CALLAGHAN ATT: N/A HT: 0-1