Whyteleafe first team coach Rob Smith praised his hard-working players despite a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Merstham on Tuesday night.

The reverse, their first in Ryman Division One South in seven outings, keeps Leafe third in the table, while Merstham climbed to fifth.

In a full-bloodied affair, which boiled over at half-time when the Leafe players were locked out of their dressing room, the visitors can count themselves fortunate to still have 11 players on the pitch at the final whistle.

Tommy Smith escaped a second yellow card by the skin of his teeth before being replaced at the break, while Greg Andrews, who cut an increasingly frustrated figure at the evening wore on, was also fortunate to avoid seeing red.

Goals in either half, from Taurean Roberts and Tommy Hutchings, did the damage – while Leafe’s only chance came via substitute Shawn Lyle’s header just moments before Hutchings’ decisive effort.

Leafe were without Roscoe DSane, Louis Hollingsworth (head) and Jensen Grant (toe) – leading Smith to cut his players some slack.

“We probably did not do enough to win the game, but we were under-strength and the players gave a good account of themselves,” he said.

“We lacked a little bit of edge up front to create the chances, but the shift the players put in – if you take away the two goals that we’ve given them – it could have been a 0-0.”

He added: "I did not see what happened at half-time. We were locked out of the dressing room and I think there were some handbags, but it was over almost before it began."

Smith and Dean Davenport were in charge at the Moatside in the absence of manager John Fowler - who could not get a flight back from Ireland having run a marathon on Monday.

Leafe are in FA Trophy action this weekend against Dunstable Town of the Southern League Premier Division (kick-off at Church Road is 3pm).