Despite playing some good football at times and looking the more likely to score early on, Green looked shakey at the back, and again conceded sloppy goals as they went down 2-0 at home to St Margaretsbury.

"We are conceding goals all the time so I know it's not just down to bad luck," said manager Micky Vipond.

"I changed things round, and for the first 70 minutes we were as good as we have been with the ball.

"But we conceded with 20 minutes to go, then conceded another and the game was over then."

Green started at Pancake Lane with a new-look back four and introduced two new signings to the first team in the form of Ben Hammond, signed from Harefield United, and Lachlan Cahill from Australian side Wollongong Wolves.

Louis West was also in the side for his first game of the season after returning from injury, but top-scorer James Armstrong was unavailable, and was missed up front.

Green's best chance of the match came on 36 minutes when the two new signings combined to set up Matt Wardle for what should have been a starightforward header, but headed over from point blank range.

It would prove to be a costly miss. With both David Parkinson and Frankie Jowle off form, the home side came closest with speculative long-range efforts.

Hammond went just wide with almost identical efforts on 52 and 55 minutes while Steve Hawes had a shot on 61 minutes which keeper James Sturgeon lost temporarily, but recovered just before Wardle could follow up.

St Margaretsbury then took the lead with a quick counter-attack on 71 minutes.

The new-look defence had been solid up to that point, but the right side was absent when the ball was played through to Ed Taylor, who slipped the ball past Milner for the opener.

Three minutes later and the visitors wrapped up the tie - Ben Herod finding himself unmarked to punish Green for losing possession in their own half.

"The same problems are there," Vipond added afterwards.

"It was a better performance but we conceded the same sort of goals again. It's a shame because we have as good a squad as I have had for a long time.

"But there are a couple of pieces of the jigsaw still missing, which I'm trying to find.

"I will get it right eventually."

Green play Aylesbury Vale tonight (Tuesday) and face Haringey Borough at Pancake Lane this Saturday.