He was hoping that his birthday would end with victory in the FA Cup but London Colney assistant manager Jack Metcalfe was still looking at the positives despite the 3-1 loss to Woodford Town.

Ibrahim Kalil had given the Blueboys the perfect start after eight minutes of the extra-preliminary round match, played at Woodford’s temporary home of Harlow Town.

But two goals from substitute Luke Parrott either side of a Rigert Rama effort meant it was the nort-east London side who progressed to a game at Waltham Abbey in the next round.

But while the opening 30 minutes had Colney on the front foot, Metcalfe believed they were on top for large parts and played just the way the management team wanted them to.

He said: “There were three lapses in concentration and they took their chances but if you judge it on the way the game went, we were the much better side and good value for our lead.

“If we cut out the mistakes it is a different game but unfortunately that’s how it’s gone.

“We just went them to be brave in the final third. We want to get numbers forward, that’s what we have been working on and for large parts of the first half we got the ball forward quickly and created chances.

“We put them on the back foot. They were worried, they made a couple of subs, changed their shape and so we affected them.

“But we have to do better defensively and if we cut the mistakes out, we win that game.”

The crucial second goal went to the home side nine minutes into the second half, and it was one to forget for keeper Lewis Bunker.

Fielding a back pass he tried to evade the onrushing Rama but got in a muddle and the striker bundled the ball home.

But Metcalfe invoked his membership of the goalkeeping union to back the young stopper.

“He knows he needs to do better,” said the assistant boss, “but he’s only a young kid and he’s been brilliant during pre-season and he look assured up to the mistake.

“He got on with it after too and he’ll learn from it. This is his first year in men’s football and I’m sure he will be better for it.”

The focus now turns to the start of the SSML Premier Division on September 15 and the visit of Harefield United.

Metcalfe said: “We’ll be ready for them and if we play like this with the ball we’ll be fine.

“We’re in a good place. We’re disappointed with the result obviously, we wanted to win the game and we should have, but we’ll be fine.”