Any lingering title hopes Molesey might still have harboured were all but extinguished with a desperately disappointing 2-1 home defeat to a well-organised Colliers Wood United.

It was the manner of defeat against a hard-working yet limited Colliers Wood side that was the most frustrating aspect of an evening that for the most part was attack versus defence, but was ultimately an evening in which the defence managed to outscore the attack.

However, the fact that 4-5 defeats is generally considered the maximum amount a title-winning side can afford to muster, the Moles now have virtually no margin for error in the seven months that remain of the season, having now lost four of their opening seven league fixtures.

Defeat seemed incomprehensible during an opening half hour in which Wester Young was virtually a spectator. The game was played almost entirely in Colliers Wood's half, with Molesey full backs Tim Pitt and Luke Elliott virtually playing as wingers.

Dale Marvell nearly opened the scoring in the first minute but could not get his shot away, Tom Windsor saw an effort well saved by Oliver Hickford having been picked out by Pitt, and Elliott cut inside his marker and shot from the edge of the box but saw his shot saved.

Most of the football, however, was played in front of Colliers Wood, so it was somewhat ironic that one of the few times the Moles got in behind the Wood defence led to the opening goal for the visitors.

Matt Baxter out-muscled Dylan Merchant on the byline, and his pull back just failed to pick out the onrushing Marvell. Both Baxter and Marvell were still slowly trotting back when a through ball from the full-back position resulted in centre halves Kristian Webb and Ollie Robinson being too far apart from each other, giving Mario Embalo a free run on goal. Young, and then the back-tracking Robinson both held him up momentarily, but he was eventually able to wriggle clear and opening the scoring.

The lead didn't last long, and the Molesey equalizer was a goal of the season contender as Craig Lewington intercepted a wayward pass some 30 yards from goal, and then hit a dipping left foot volley over Hickford for his first goal for the club.

The small flurry of goals continued within five minutes, with ex mole Aaron Cole-Bolt firing what turned out to be the winner, as another counter-attack from Wood caught Elliott out of position and with two men over on Molesey's left Cole-Bolt had an age to take the ball down and fire a volley over Young from the edge of the box.

Molesey huffed and puffed after the re-start but ran out of ideas as the half wore on. Baxter had an opportunity after being put in by Ross Chalke on his 100th Molesey appearance, but Hickford saved well with his legs.

The flow of the game was certainly not helped by a fussy and inconsistent referee, who even after the error of bringing the ball back for a Molesey free kick when Dale Marvell was in on goal still refused to contemplate playing the advantage rule for either side.

Molesey had a decent shout for a penalty in the closing stages when a handball in the box went unpunished from a Lewington free-kick, although how the ball stayed out the net when Baxter prodded it across goal immediately afterwards is a mystery.

Wood held out to record their seventh consecutive league win against the Moles, who know it's now or never to get a long unbeaten run together. They hope to start that run with the visit of Horley Town on Saturday.