CAMELFORD missed a glorious chance to move up to fourth in the table as mid-table Millbrook ran out 2-1 winners at Trefrew Park.

The Camels were looking to bounce back from their defeat at Bude Town a week earlier and were able to welcome back attackers Mark Gusterson and Ryan Downing and captain Tom Cowling to the starting line-up as the injured Liam Higgins, suspended Jacob Ham and unavailable Andy Boxall made way.

Talented midfielder Piotr Maciejewski was named on the bench for the first time although the likes of Josh Caddy and Josh Harris were still out while Cam Bidgood is still in Australia.

With a strong wind running down the centre of the field, the Camels had the first use of the elements in their favour and although they were camped in the Millbrook half, rarely threatened.

However, they did take the lead just after the half-hour mark when top-scorer Ryan Downing cut in off the left and found the far corner.

Millbrook were far from full strength either but battled away in the second half to secure victory.

After gradually working their way back into the game, a ball in found Lee Robinson at the back post who made no mistake.

With 20 minutes to go they took the lead with a 25-yard free-kick from Jamie Geraghty which sailed past a hapless Harvey.

Camelford went in search for an equaliser and saw manager Bobby Hopkinson introduce himself up front, but despite getting themselves into some promising positions, rarely looked like drawing a level.

Camels assistant boss Dan Balsdon admitted they were well below par.

He said: “They had stand-in goalkeeper who isn’t even a keeper, but we just didn’t test him enough.

“We got ourselves into some good positions, but our final decision wasn’t the best.

“Although they were much better in the second half, we felt they were there for the taking, but we didn’t do the simple things very well and probably didn’t deserve anything.”

Camelford are back in action on Boxing Day when they visit neighbours Wadebridge Town and Balsdon wants a response.

He said: “Bobby and I weren’t too pleased with Saturday but thankfully we have a game on Friday to put it right.

“These are the games you want to be part of and hopefully we’ll respond.

“We knocked them out of the Senior Cup earlier in the season, but they’ve brought in some players since then, so we’re not totally sure what to expect.

“Hopefully the players will be up for it and we’ll look to get back to basics. There’s a bit of a connection between the two clubs, so motivation shouldn’t be a problem.”

CAMELFORD: Cory Harvey; Olly Taylor, Dan Hocking, Tom Crowe, Tom Cowling; Sam Watts, Ross Beare, Kenley Dyson; Joseph Parr, Mark Gusterson, Ryan Downing. Subs: Matt Gilmour, Piotr Maciejewski, Bobby Hopkinson, Dan Balsdon.

Camels’ man-of-the-match: Ross Beare.