"Fair enough, the big boot looks to be effective for them, but I can't agree that is how football should be played," he said.

"It was an awful match," he continued.

"And the way they play, well, you can't really knock it if that's the way they want to go about things.

"To be fair we struggled and couldn't really combat their tactics and didn't have the creative nous to break them down.

"We should have had two penalties, though, which would have changed the game.

"The first was in the first half when Alex Gildea was clearly fouled but the referee played what he thought was an advantage to us.

"How can it be an advantage for us not to be given a clear penalty!

"The second was even more blatant when Andy Johnson was brought down."

The game was physical from the off with the Blyth physio doing as much running as some of the team in the first five minutes as he was called on four times to treat injured players.

It came as no real surprise when one player couldn't be patched up and had to leave the field.

Striker Phil Bell damaged ligaments in both his knee and ankle after a hefty challenge and his loss proved pivotal to the Spartans' hopes of getting any kind of result.

With midfielder Michael Hedley pressed into service up front alongside Johnson the visitors had little to offer as an attacking force.

Johnson had a quiet afternoon but, according to Dunn, had been "clattered" early in the game but played on with a sore foot.

Blyth had no recognised forward on the bench with Robbie Dale still injured, Martin Houlahan suffering from flu and youngster Tony Stephenson not travelling due to a family bereavement.

Even the winning goal had Dunn unhappy.

"Hedley was fouled before Redditch got in around the back to score," he said.

"Their lad Murphy took it well but the move should never have got to that stage."

Striving to take positives from the game Dunn thought ex-Workington midfielder Steve Birks again did well, and it turns out that 'Dunn's Directory' didn't, in fact, have his side down to get anything from the game.

The Directory is the result of him casting an analytical eye over the forthcoming fixtures to see where points may come from to ensure Blue Square North safety.

However, this weekend's fixture at home to Hucknall has a different mark against it – this is a "must-not-lose" match.

Dunn said: "We won't be at all negative but I've put this down as one where we must pick up at least a point.

Blyth go into the match in 16th place with visitors Hucknall third off bottom in 19th spot.

At the end of a week which saw one of the region's Unibond clubs actually asking to be demoted down the football pyramid due to the difficulty and expense of travelling around the north of England, it is testimony to the remarkable effort, dedication and vision of the players, supporters and officials (past and present) of Blyth Spartans that the Northumberland club has continued to operate over a similar – in fact wider – geographical area for 15 years.

Saturday's trip to Redditch in Worcestershire (Blyth's second to a club in that county this season) was, result-wise, pointless but playing at the highest level that the Spartans can achieve is exactly the point to those who support the club.