Colney Heath couldn't make it back-to-back victories in the Southern League as they fell to defeat on a soggy night at Aylesbury United.
Goals from Ty Deacon and Ezra Anthonio-Forde in each half settled the Division One contest in a 2-0 home win and although there was pressure and long periods on the ball, Colney could not find a strike of their own.
It means the Magpies have just four points from their opening eight games in the division, the highest step of the football pyramid the club have ever played at.
And the honeymoon and grace period following their promotion is slowly coming to an end, meaning the excuses will soon be obsolete too.
They aren't far away though. They deserved something from this game and with a little more application and belief it will come.
While many games in the south-east were being called off with the lack of fuel being cited as the reason, there was never a doubt of this one going ahead or finishing, even under the constant deluge throughout the evening.
The fact neither played on Saturday with both given byes to the second qualifying round of the FA Trophy probably had a big bearing on that with the Magpies' last game coming one week earlier when a very young and much-changed Magpies' side had been beaten late on by Cheshunt in the Herts Senior Cup.
Manager Ryan Thompson opted for two changes from the victory over Hertford on September 18.
In came Os Allman and new signing John Smith, snapped up from Oxhey Jets, with Max Jessop and the suspended Kamal McEwen.
One of the criticism that has been levelled is their slow starts to games and it was exactly the case here.
The Ducks had already tested Connor Sansom with one shot from Ollie Hogg, the rebound swept in by Deacon but ruled out for offside
Deacon made no mistake shortly after though as he got on the end of a hopeful punt up the field, shrugging off Martin Standen and firing low beyond the keeper.
Harry Jones was also allowed to run right across the field and even with Allman in pursuit, he was able to hit a low shot across the turf and force Sansom to get down low.
The pitch was sodden by this point but the ball was still skipping off the top and intended passes were often running away from their receivers.
Colney Heath were also racing around like the proverbial poultry who have no need for a hat.
However, a switch of personnel and positions made a huge difference and suddenly the Magpies were in the ascendancy.
It was nothing ground breaking, simply bringing Jack Woods to the left and putting Allman over to the right, but the skipper started to see a lot more of the ball and Heath in general looked to have come to term with the weather.
Ricochets weren't falling for the visitors though and their luck seemed out when Jon Clements got in behind the defence and slid it to divert the ball goalward.
It hit Archie Davis as did the forward moments later and although the ball ran into an inviting position, the referee deemed the inadvertent slide a foul.
They kept pressurising and it was only the odd wrong option and some bad luck that left them frustrated in their search for an equaliser
They had another let-off just before the break when Max Hercules fired a rebound home, Sansom again getting down low to make a save, but again the offside flag was raised.
They were given another scare nine minutes after the restart with the award of a penalty to the home side.
Substitute Ezra Anthonio-Forde went down under a challenge from Sansom who seemed to get the ball.
Jamie Jellis though hit it too straight at Sansom made a big stop with the Mags fielding the rebound.
But their luck ran out almost midway through the half as Anthonio-Forde got on the end of a corner that was pinged towards goal.
From there Aylesbury were happy to protect what they had and attack on the break.
Colney though, as you would expect, did not back down and Clements forced Davis into a good stop with a header from a Jessop cross.
The offside flag also denied George Sippetts a strike on goal while one teasing ball whipped in low evaded absolutely everybody as it headed across goal and out.
The final chance fell to Danny Fitzgerald but he too couldn't find the target.
It is becoming the story of their season.
Colney Heath: Sansom, Green, O'Connor, Lovell, Standen, Fitzgerald, Woods (Ferrigno 72), Griffin, Clements, Smith (Jessop 72), Allman (Sippetts 59).
Subs (not used): Doolan, Boodhoo.
Booked: Lovell 20
Aylesbury United: Davis, Jones, Bewley, Wood, Jenkins, Hogg, Hercules, Riddick, Deacon (Anthonio-Forde 49), Jellis (French 86), Seaton (Rudd 81).
Subs (not used): Weatherill, McCrohan.
Goals: Deacon 8, Anthonio-Forde 66
Booked: Hogg 56
HT: Aylesbury United 1 Colney Heath 0
Referee: Alan Cox (Birmingham)
Attendance: 96
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here