St Albans City's horrendous start to the National League South continued with another defeat - a fifth in the opening six matches.

The 1-0 loss at Farnborough was decided by a back-heeled effort from Millar Matthew-Lewis on 71 minutes, leaving Saints second from bottom, only separated from the basement by pointless Weymouth.

And manager David Noble says what is happening at both ends of the field is crippling City.

"We're not ruthless enough in both boxes," he lamented. "It's another [example] of the same story, another goal conceded from a set-piece.

I'll have to look at it back but how someone can back-heel the ball from eight yards, inside the box, without it being blocked by people wanting to put their bodies in the way, I don't know.

"In other games, it has been people not picking up their designated man at corners but this is a fourth goal conceded from a set-piece. It should not be happening.

"It's the same at the other end, we're not killers and we need to be killers in both boxes.

"It's costing us at the minute."

They had begun the game going a lot more direct than usual, a plan but one they forgot to switch at the point discussed.

Noble said: "We knew Farnborough would come after us so we didn't want to be pressed in our own third at the start.

"But we didn't stop after the first 15 minutes and we went long too much.

"I've said about the performances being OK even though we are losing games. This wasn't quite [up to that] but it was a scrappier game.

"There were a load of balls coming into our box and you have to defend every single ball that comes into our box.

"You can't do it for the first 80 and then forget to do it on the 81st. It's not going to work and especially the situation that we're in.

"You have to be so bright and clued up, so wanting to keep the ball out of your goal.

"In other games if anything we have been the better team, with the ball and the chances and the rest of it, but we lost them.

"Here it was a little bit more even but we still had the cleaner of the chances."

And how they turn their fortunes around is clear to Noble.

"There's no point feeling sorry for ourselves," he said. "To get out of these situations, you need to be twice as good as you are.

"Results and performances come for you when things are going well, when things are going well.

"When they are not, you have to be doubly as good and doubly as switched on."