SELBY Town boss Dave Ricardo blasted his team's first-half performance after watching them exit the FA Vase with a 2-1 home defeat to Hallam - reserving particular criticism for his defence.

The Sheffield side had first-half goals from Michael Blythen and Jordan Turner to thank for their first-round victory.

Although the Robins replied on the hour through Chris Jackson, the visitors always looked likely to progress.

Ricardo’s side have now claimed just one win from their last seven home games in all competitions.

“It was purely inadequate," he said of their first-half show.

“There was a period in the first half when our two centre-halves didn’t want to mark. I asked them why, they couldn’t answer.

“One was playing offside, one wasn’t. There were some harsh words said at half-time, and I told them how to defend. They didn’t defend, they didn’t want to defend.”

Ricardo added: “We were good in the second half. Nothing much changed, we just started to play and engaged the ball in a positive manner.

“We looked like two different sides, but if you give two goals away against Hallam, you’re not going to win.”

The hosts had begun the tie with intent. Striker Jackson, who netted a brace in last Saturday’s win at Worsbrough, stole in behind the back four and curled a presentable chance past the far post.

But Hallam posed a keen threat on the counter-attack and they struck their first blow after half an hour. A simple one-two in space down the left between Danny Flynn and Blythen, which drew Lewis Rowbottom out of the heart of defence, allowed Blythen to side-foot home unchallenged.

At this stage, Selby struggled to stymie pressure as Micah Bishop curled a left-footed effort over.

For all their fluid movement, Hallam’s second came from a hopeful long ball into the left channel from right-back Elliott Simpson. Turner’s midfield run wasn’t tracked and he took time, which was afforded him by skipper Dane Mortimer, to clip a cute lob over Ciaran Gibson and under the bar to make it 2-0.

The visitors, who would have visited Selby in Northern Counties East League division one anyway were the game not postponed for this cup tie, had chances to add to their tally.

They failed to take advantage of an indirect free-kick in the area, after Gibson erred in gathering Mortimer’s back pass.

The Robins, who overcame Askern and Westella in qualifying rounds to reach this stage, seized the initiative on the hour. Danny Bunch’s persistence was rewarded when his right-wing cross found Jackson in the area, and he hit an athletic first-time volley into the bottom corner.

Their best chance to level came immediately after, when Rowbottom headed onto the roof of the net from a corner.

The introduction of Craig Muirhead and Luke Anderson failed to have the desired effect and Hallam came closest to scoring in the closing stages through Steve Brammer, whose powerful close-range shot was fended away by Gibson.

Selby return to NCEL action tomorrow night at home Westella (7.45pm), while Knaresborough Town, with no fixture on Saturday, host high-flying Bottesford.