VCD slumped to a 2-0 defeat at home to fellow Ryman North side Heybridge Swifts with a poor display from the Crayford side.

With captain Danny Penny missing through suspension and David Hunt and Lee Maskell both unavailable due to work and holiday commitments the Vickers lacked their usual spark.

The opening exchanges were fairly even with some juicy challenges being put in by both sides who went at each other from the kick off.

An early cross into the box by the Marouane Fellaini hairstyled right back saw Vickers keeper James Tedder punch the ball clear and in the process clatter into a Swifts player Broadhurst who was forced to leave the pitch with a broken nose.

The Swifts replacement Sansford teamed up with Leon Antoine in a hard working front pair for the Swifts.

Just as the Vickers started to finally look more threatening yet another gifted goal was conceded.

On 32 minutes a punt forward from the full back found an unmarked Harrison Chatting who ran onto the loose ball just getting to the ball before Tedder who was booked for the trip on the edge of the box.

Chatting dusted himself down to send a perfect strike over the wall and into the top right corner.

Once again working their way slowly back into the game the Vickers suffered a sucker punch on the stroke of half time as Gary Cook, back in the side after his suspension, miscontrolled the ball allowing Chatting to pick out Antoine who held off a challenge before spinning and striking the ball home from close range.

The second half saw the introduction of the usually talismanic Aaron Firth but even he could not rouse the Vickers into action.

Firth did have two attempts on goal however, one a run and shot from a tight angle that hit the side netting and the other a speculative effort from outside the box that went wide.

In fact the closest the Vickers came to scoring came from a Swifts defender when Hegley outstipped his marker and sent a low cross into the box which was sent over the bar by inches by the Swifts' left back.

Debutants Ryan Cole and Reggie Oliver were introduced for the last ten minutes and reserve team top scorer Cole showed some promise in the short time he was on the field.

The Vickers head to Great Wakering Rovers next week to attempt to get back to their good mid season form that saw five consecutive victories.

VCD Line up J Tedder, Hunt, Barton (Firth 65 mins), A Hogg, Cook, C Tedder, Winchcombe (Cole 80 mins), Ward, Huggins, Hegley (Oliver 80 mins) Subs not used Mitchell and S Hogg