Saturday saw the Dragons entertain high-flying Ebsfleet United who are desperately searching for maximum points to maintain their position in the play-off places and to keep alive their faint hopes of taking the title.
Basingstoke started at the Camrose with a surprising formation of 4-5-1, with Ross Adams at right-back and Rob Rice just in front of the defence.
Town had a great opportunity in the third minute with Matt Warner curling a free kick just over the bar after Greg Draper had been fouled just outside the area.
The game went through a quiet spell until a mistake by Jay Gasson on the quarter hour allowed Ricky Shakes a half chance that was comfortably taken by Chay Morris.
The visitors should have opened the scoring on 24 minutes, Tom Phipp setting up Callum Willock. But the latter failed to get a good contact, allowing Morris to save.
David Pratt did well to win a header from a long free kick, directing the ball across the face of the goal, but no Town player was on hand to convert.
The deadlock was broken after 32 minutes when a great ball from Stuart Lake released Warner down the left and he smashed his shot against the post, a rare stroke of luck for the hosts as the ball fell to Draper, who converted from 12 yards.
All too often this season Town have shot themselves in the foot and once more it happened. All the best laid plans of a manager cannot make up for individual mistakes.
Gasson failed to clear a long ball, only getting it as far as Shakes and he made no mistake with his opportunity from the edge of the box, finding the bottom corner. The Dragons’ lead had lasted only a minute.
Ebsfleet keeper Preston Edwards needed to be alert in the closing moments of the half, first making a save from Delano Sam-Yorke after he had beaten Paul Lorraine. In injury time, Warner set up Pratt, who saw his goal-bound effort blocked.
Nine minutes into the second half, the visitors made a double substitution as they looked to take control.
But two minutes later it was the hosts who could have taken the lead, Adams with a free header from a corner failed to find the target.
At the other end, Gasson was having a poor game, Willock getting the better of him and Callum Reynolds getting him out of jail with a fine challenge.
The dangerous looking Shakes nearly put his side in front with a fluke as his attempted cross caught the wind and ended up clipping the top of the cross bar.
Town were undone 15 minutes from time with more woeful defending. Again the long ball caused problems, allowing Shakes to take advantage of the gap between Gasson and Matt Finlay and enabling him to convert his second of the game.
Town made an immediate change, replacing Finlay for Matt Pattison, but the home side only created one chance in the close of the second half with Warner heading tamely at Preston.
Town next face Bishops Stortford away on Saturday.
