SALISBURY City's long unbeaten league run came to a controversial close at Histon, with penalty decisions at both ends proving decisive, writes Ryan Lovejoy.

With the game in the balance at 1-1, Ian Cambridge won a soft 80th-minute penalty for the hosts, which he stepped up to convert. Then to add to the fury of the travelling contingent, Whites were denied a spot kick of their own.

Boss Nick Holmes told Journal Sport: "Not too many people in the ground thought it was a penalty, even those involved with Histon. Then we went up the other end and Craig Davis' cross was blatantly handled, but we didn't get the penalty, so that was a double whammy."

Before this loss, City were unbeaten in 16 league games, stretching back to the defeat against Eastleigh on September 23. However, Wayne Turk and Adam Wallace were suspended for the Histon match, and John Purches and Steve Strong pulled out through illness on Saturday morning.

"Our squad is strong enough to cope now, but when we lost two more to illness that meant we were without four starting players so it was bound to be tough," added Holmes.

Andy Cook's header and a Matt Tubbs free kick both came close to giving Salisbury the lead before Histon struck on 22 minutes, Neil Kennedy heading home Neil Andrews' cross. Davis put a free header over from Stuart James' free kick before the break, but he made amends after 55 minutes. James' cross was punched by Histon goalkeeper Paul Barber but only as far as Davis who finished well.

Tubbs had the ball in the net but it was adjudged to have gone out of play, before Cambridge's penalty settled the game.

Holmes added: "After the first 20 minutes we played reasonably well and it was nothing to be ashamed of. If we continue to play like that, we will win more than we lose."